Anything But Mine
by Angie Elle
Summary: When Nathan decided to go to High Flyers for the summer, he never expected that he'd fall in love. But he left someone behind in Tree Hill. What will happen between them, and will he ever see his summer love again? Naley
1. Prologue

Nathan knocked on Coach Durham's door and waited for the man to acknowledge him. "Nathan Scott. What can I do for ya?" he asked in his booming voice, looking up for just a second.

Nathan walked in and sat down across from his coach. He dropped his backpack on the floor beside him. "Hey, Coach. I just wanted to say thanks again for your recommendation on my behalf," he said.

"For all the good it did," Whitey said, still looking down at the paperwork in front of him.

Nathan cleared his throat and wiped his palms on his knees. "Actually, Coach, I've changed my mind. I've decided to go to High Flyers."

Whitey lifted his head and looked Nathan in the eye, slowly sitting down in his chair. "Is that so?" he asked.

Nathan nodded his head. "That's so."

"Do you know why I wrote you that recommendation for High Flyers, Nate?" his coach asked him.

Nathan scoffed. "Because I'm good," he stated.

"No," Whitey said simply. "You _are_ good, Nate, but that's not why I recommended you."

Nathan shrugged one shoulder. "Then why?" he asked.

"Because you need to work on being a team player," Whitey told him. "This game isn't just what _you _can do for you; it's about what you can do for your _team_. And I don't want next years team captain to be hoggin' the damn ball every time he walks out onto the court."

Nathan's eyes snapped up to Whitey's. "Captain? Really, Coach?"

Whitey nodded. "You've got technique, Nathan. Now let's work on bringing your heart into the game."

Nathan stood up and extended his arm over Whitey's desk. The older man reached his hand out and Nathan shook it excitedly. "Thanks, Coach!" he said.

Whitey nodded his head. "Don't disappoint me, Scott."

"I won't," Nathan assured him.

"And have a good six weeks."

777

"Nathan, please…"

He threw his hands up. "What do you want from me? You _kissed_ another guy!" he reminded her angrily. "And not just any guy, but a guy that I despise!"

"I know. And you'll never know how much I regret that. I'm _sorry,_" she said for the thousandth time.

"Well, I'm not sure that's enough," he said quietly, firmly.

"Nathan—"

"I'm going to High Flyers," he interrupted her. "I leave in two days."

Her downcast eyes lifted to his. "Oh," she said in a small voice. "That's great," she said, knowing that it _was _great for him. It just wasn't great for _them._ "This is a really good opportunity for you."

"I know it is. And that's why I changed my mind. I need to concentrate on my game. So, for now, we're going to have to be put on the back burner. I have a lot of thinking to do over the next six weeks. Hopefully I'll have decided what I want to do by the time I come home," he said.

She nodded her head. "I'll be here waiting for you when you get back," she assured him.

777

"Hey, great game, Scott," one of his High Flyer teammates said to Nathan as he walked past. Nathan grinned at him and nodded. "Thanks, you, too," he said.

"I know," Jason replied, keeping up his pace. "See you in the caf?"

"I'll be there," Nathan said as his friend left the gym. For the last six weeks, Nathan had been working with professional trainers and coaches perfecting his skills, and teaching him the benefits of playing as one of a team as opposed to trying to be a solo act on the court. While he'd be eternally grateful for all of their help, it wasn't what he was going to remember most about his summer. "So…" he said, turning back to face the girl standing in front of him. They were the only two left in the gymnasium now.

"So…" she repeated.

"I guess this is it," he said.

"I guess so," she agreed, chewing on her lower lip uncertainly. She laughed nervously, not wanting to say good bye. "I never thought I'd be so thankful for electrical difficulties," she said. The girls' gymnasium, which had just finished being built a few weeks before the debut season of Female High Flyers was supposed to take place, suffered afire and had been a total loss. So the young men and women had had to share the space that had originally been reserved for the men. It was then that Nathan had met the girl standing in front of him. He'd been immediately drawn to her, and had suffered endless ribbing from his teammates because of it. They'd given him heck, telling him he was here to concentrate on basketball, not girls. But that quickly changed, as they all realized just by watching her play that she was his female equal as far as basketball was concerned.

Nathan sighed thinking just how fast the weeks had gone, and how much he was going to miss her. He reached for his right hand and pulled a ring off his finger. He pulled her hand out and placed it in her palm. "For you," he said softly.

"Oh, Scott," she said breathily. "I can't," she protested. "It's your High Flyer's MVP ring. You should keep it."

He shook his head. "I want you to have it," he insisted.

"But—"

"I want you to remember this summer forever," he said.

She laughed again. "Trust me, I'll never forget this summer," she assured him, looking down at the ring in her hand. She closed her fingers around it and gave it a squeeze.

"Neither will I," he told her.

She lifted her eyes to his again and timidly took a step toward him. She brought her arms up around his neck. He felt his gym bag slide off his shoulder and fall to the floor as he looked down into her eyes. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered, just before his lips touched hers. She pressed her whole body into his, letting him know just how much she was going to miss him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and tightened his hold on her. As she opened her mouth for him, he swept his tongue leisurely inside, as if he had all the time in the world to stand there and kiss her. Just like their whole summer had been, there was a sweetness to their kiss. He gently brought one of his hands up to the nape of her neck, and tried to bring her even closer, but it wasn't possible. Finally, he pulled away from her, leaning his forehead against hers. There was no heavy breathing or trying to catch his breath, as there had been no urgency to the kiss. Just a longing. "I'm going to miss you, too, Hales," he whispered softly.


	2. Chapter 1

Haley sighed and plucked an apple from the fruit bowl in the middle of the kitchen table. Her mother, who was standing at the sink washing dishes, looked over her shoulder. "Enough with the sighs. We get it, Honey. You're upset that we had to move."

"_All_ the way across the country!" she complained.

Lydia pulled the dish towel down off her shoulder and wiped her hands on it. She walked over to her daughter and gave her a quick hug. When Haley didn't hug her back, she reached down and picked daughters arms up and placed them around her own waist. Reluctantly, Haley hugged her mother. Lydia pulled back and smoothed her daughters' long hair away from her face, placing a kiss on her forehead. "There are no two ways about it, Haley-Bop. It sucks. You had to move just before your senior year and I realize that it doesn't seem fair to you."

"Because it's _not," _Haley muttered, looking down.

Lydia took a step back from her daughter and crossed her arms. "Is there anything I can do to make this better for you?" she asked sincerely.

Haley shook her head. "No," she said honestly. "It's not your fault, Mom, and I know that. Dad wasn't given a choice. I'm not mad, just a little bit devastated."

Lydia laughed. "Honey, I'm not sure that devastation comes in measures. The word itself suggests that it's huge."

Haley nodded in agreement. "I know."

"Are you all unpacked?"

"Yeah, I'm all unpacked."

"Remember that café we went to for supper the other night?" she asked.

Haley nodded.

"Remember those basketball hoops we passed on the way here?" she asked her daughter.

Haley's eyes lifted to her mother's and for the first time since she'd gotten home from High Flyers, she saw that gleam in her daughter's eyes. She didn't even realize it had been missing until it reappeared. Her daughter had a zest for life, and Lydia loved her all the more for it. "Why don't you grab your basketball out of the garage and go…shoot around?" she suggested.

Haley grinned. "Because it's not in the garage," she said.

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Did you and Mr. Waffles sleep with your basketball _again_ last night?" she accused.

"Basketball's familiar, Mom," Haley said, defending herself.

"Uh-huh, right. And it wouldn't' have anything to do with that fellow at High Flyers who gave it to you, right? What was his name again?" her mother teased.

"Scott," Haley said softly, smiling at the mention of him.

"Right. Scott. The one whose name can always put a smile on my girls face."

"Mom!" Haley groaned on her way out of the room.

777

Haley headed up to her room and threw her hair up in a pony tail, then changed into a pair of track pants and a fitted t-shirt. She grabbed the basketball off her bed started walking out of her room. She came to an abrupt halt in the doorway and turned back around. "Catch, Mr. Waffles," she said, tossing the ball back on her bed next to the stuffed bear. On second thought, she didn't want to use that ball. Scott _had _given it to her, and she didn't want to get it dirty.

She left through the side door in the kitchen so she could go through the garage, and after rummaging through a few boxes, came up with a sorry looking basketball. She grinned at the sight of it. All of her basketballs were sorry looking because she used them so much. She walked out of the open garage and took a left at the end of her driveway, heading for the hoops she had seen earlier in the week.

777

Nathan was in his Dad's SUV driving to his friend Tim's house when he saw her. He almost did a double take, but then stopped himself. His first two days home from High Flyers had been fine. But the last two had been ridiculous. He thought he had seen her at a café here in town a few nights ago, and now he found himself actually _looking_ for her everywhere he went, which was stupid for two reasons. Number one, she told him that she lived on the west coast, and number two, he'd decided that he was going to try to forget about what Peyton had done, and give her a second chance. Nathan sighed and turned the vehicle down the next side street. He really needed to get over this girl. They hadn't even exchanged last names. They'd decided to keep it simple, which had worked well for him. She hadn't asked if he'd had anyone back home, and he hadn't asked her either. It was a good thing, because after getting to know her, he knew he'd be devastated if she _did._

777

Haley was at the foul line and had just put the ball up, nothing but net. "Nice shot," she heard a voice behind her say. She spun around and saw a guy with blonde hair and a muscular build standing there. He had a friendly look on his face.

"Thanks," she said uncertainly.

He walked towards her and held out his right hand. "Lucas Scott," he said.

"Haley James," she said, reaching out and shaking his hand and giving him a smile.

He looked at her more closely. "Do I know you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I just moved here from Washington."

"Are you sure? I feel like I've known you forever," he insisted.

Haley straightened, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that some lame come on line?" she accused.

Lucas laughed and stopped studying her. "No. You really do look familiar," he said. "So, how long have you been here?" he asked.

"Four days," she told him. "This was kind of a surprise, since I'd just gotten home from being away for six weeks and all of my stuff was in boxes. While I was gone, my Dad got transferred and almost as soon as I got off one plane, I got on another. So, this is where we ended up," she said lifting her arms out to her sides.

Lucas couldn't hold in a laugh. "Do you always ramble?" he asked, liking her immediately.

She blushed lightly and then laughed. She nodded her head. "Yeah, I do," she told him. "Nervous habit, I'm afraid."

"So," Lucas said, nodding his head toward the hoop."You play?"

She shrugged. "A little bit," she lied.

"Game on?" he asked.

"Game on," she agreed.

After that, Haley and Lucas spent the next few weeks glued to the other's side. He was the first person she'd met her own age in Tree Hill, and they soon became best friends. She found out that Lucas was very intelligent and quite a loner. That was fine with her. She wasn't really looking forward to meeting a bunch of new people anyway.

777

_Two weeks later…_

Haley looked at the stopwatch in her hand and clicked the stop button. "And…time!" she said. "Please put your pencil down and pass your test to me!"

"Haley…"

"I'm sorry, there's no one by that name here. I am known as _room_ moderator," Haley said in a deep voice.

Lucas groaned. "But I only have one left!" he protested.

"Lucas—the rules of the pretend SATs clearly state that once time is up, you cannot continue your test in any form or fashion," she reminded him all in one breath. He didn't know how she did it. She lifted her hands and placed them on her hips. "I read them to you a mere three hours ago."

Lucas' eyes danced in amusement as he looked at his new friend. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this. Oh—by the way—this was the longest three hours of my life! And I'll _never_ get it back!" he said. 

Haley grinned. "Don't be such a pretend SAT basher. You can't even remember when you've had this much fun. Besides, I graded the Math part—and you did amazing!" she told him in a sing song voice.

Lucas laughed as he realized that Haley's comment was right on the money. It didn't matter what he did when he was with her, they always seemed to have fun together. "Hey, I have an idea," he told her, getting up from her kitchen table.

"What's that?" she asked.

"How about a tour of the school?" he asked.

"Tree Hill High?" she asked excitedly.

"The one and only," he said.

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" she exclaimed. "Right now?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Let's go," she squealed.

777

"Wow, this place is huge!" Haley observed as they walked through the halls.

"You think so?" Lucas asked, not really noticing. He'd been at Tree Hill High for three years now.

"Yeah, I think so," she said looking around in awe."You could fit three of my last school in here," she told him.

He laughed and put his hands in his pockets. "I guess I'm just used to it," he said.

She swallowed nervously. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

"What? Why?" he asked.

"Because now I'm scared to death," she admitted.

"Hales, it's going to be fine," he said.

Haley nodded, not quite believing him. "Hey, I just had a stroke of genius," she said eagerly.

"What's that?" he asked, half listening. He was looking at the picture of last year's basketball team. He scowled at the sight of his younger brother. Luckily, Haley didn't notice.

She took both of her arms and wrapped them around the one she was closest to, still walking by his side. "Pretend to be my boyfriend?" she asked sweetly.

"What?" he asked laughing.

"Pretend to be my boyfriend," she repeated. "Pleaaaase Lucas?" she whined. "I really think it'll help me on my first day of school to be dating the loner guy," she teased.

He stopped walking and turned to look at her. "Does it involve any kissing?" he asked.

She made a disgusted face. "Oh, God, no!" she told him. "I could _never_ kiss you."

"Then I'm in," he said reluctantly.

"Yay!" she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you!" she said.

"Oh, and by the way, I'm one hell of a kisser," he told her confidently.

"I bet you are, Lucas Scott," she agreed. "But I'll just have to take your word for it."


	3. Chapter 2

"So," Lucas said taking a bite of his salad. "My Mom says you're doing a great job."

Haley looked up from wiping the counter. "Really?" she said, her eyes shining. She sighed. "It was so great of her to give me this job, Lucas."

Lucas grinned. "I think she likes you better than she likes me," he said dryly.

Haley giggled. "Can you blame her?" she asked, snatching a cherry tomato from his salad and bit half of it off.

"Hey!" Lucas said laughing.

"So, yesterday when we were touring the school, I saw a sign for a tutoring center. Do you know anything about it?" she asked.

Lucas shook his head. "Not really," he said. "I've never needed to go in there."

"I think I want to be a tutor," she told him.

"Why?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I think it would be a good way to meet people."

"I guess," he said uncertainly.

"You don't think so?" she asked.

"I'm just not big on people," he stated.

She grinned. "I noticed," she said. "Do you know who I'd talk to about it?"

"Probably Principal Turner," he said.

Haley nodded and swallowed the last bite of her tomato. "So, what're you doing today?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I'm meeting up with the guys later at the Rivercourt."

"_Later _later?" she asked.

"Yeah, after supper. Why?" he asked hoping like hell that he wasn't going to get roped into playing pretend SATs again.

Haley grinned at him. "I'm going to go get some hi-lights," she told him.

"That's great," he said, studying at her hair. "But what's wrong with your hair the color it is?" he asked.

"There's nothing _wrong _with it," she said. "I just figured…new school year, new look."

He nodded, not quite certain what to think. His new friend was _such _a girl.

"Do you want to come with me?" she asked, placing her elbows on the counter and leaning forward.

Lucas laughed and then looked up and saw the serious expression on her face. "Oh, you were serious?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah," he said carefully. "No. I'll pass."

"Lucas," she whined.

He narrowed his gaze at her. "Oh, don't whine, Hales," he told her.

"Please?" she begged.

He sighed. "How long do these hi-lights take?" he asked.

"Oh, about half an hour," she lied.

He groaned. "Fine," he said giving in.

Haley grinned at him. "Thanks, Lucas. You're better than any female friend I've ever had!" she teased.

777

"OK, number four," Haley asked. "Your idea of perfect sex is: a) on a bed missionary position, b) in the back seat of the car, fast and furious or c) in a hot tub slow and sensual.

"Huh?" Lucas asked, unable to tear his gaze away from the foil covering some of his friends' hair.

"Lucas! You're not listening," she complained.

He tore his eyes away from her head and met her eyes. "Haley, it's really hard to concentrate when you look like you've just arrived from outer space," he teased laughing. She leaned forward and hit him in the arm with the magazine.

"Shut up!" she said laughing.

"Welcome to planet Earth," he said slowly, as if she couldn't speak English very well.

Haley rolled her eyes. "You know, the fact that you wouldn't answer the quiz question leads me to believe that you're not having any sex at all," she said, getting his attention. "In fact, I have to wonder if you ever have," she taunted.

Lucas laughed. "I'll never tell," he said.

"So you're not, then?" she teased.

Lucas sighed and wiped his hands on his knees. "I didn't realize this hair appointment was going to be accompanied by a pop quiz," he said dryly. "I thought I had a few weeks left before I had to worry about that."

Haley shut the magazine and put it on the stand beside her. "Here," she said, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket and handing it to him. "Take a picture of me," she commanded.

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked uncertainly. "I would think you'd never want to be seen like this again."

Haley laughed. "I'm going to send it to Molly," she replied referring to one of her friends in Seattle. "It's kind of our thing. We always go to get our hair done together before school starts. She's actually getting her hair done right now, too."

Lucas raised his eyebrows and nodded as if he thought it was cool. _Girls,_ he thought, snapping a picture of Haley. She took the phone from him and quickly sent it to her friend, then put it back in her pocket. Lucas cleared his throat. "Not that I'm keeping track, but you said half an hour, and we've already been here for an hour and a half," he said.

"We're almost done," she assured him.

"Is this one of those times where you just tell me what you think I want to hear?" he asked.

Haley grinned. "No, we really are almost done," she repeated as the stylist came in. She quickly checked Haley's hair.

"Ready to rinse?" she asked.

"I sure am," Haley told her then looked at Lucas. "See?" she said smugly as he rolled his eyes.

777

"So, I want to go to that pretzel place," Haley said, looking down into her bag for her wallet. "I think—" Haley was almost knocked off balance as Lucas gave her a shove into the store they were passing. She looked up and frowned. "I hate this sto—oh, that's adorable!" she exclaimed, picking up a light purple satin bra covered with black lace. They were in Victoria's Secret which was a place that Haley didn't usually visit because it was too expensive. Luckily for her, her father's promotion had included a hefty raise and her clothing allowance for the new school year had increased as a result. Actually—she thought it was as a result of her parents feeling guilty for moving her, but she was OK with that. She held the bra up to her chest. "What do you think?" she asked.

Lucas gave her a weird look and realized what a typical female his new best friend was. He wished she were atypical. "I don't know," he said uncomfortably. "I'm hoping never to see you in it, that's for sure!"

Haley gave him a playful shove. "It's too expensive anyway," she said, looking at the price tag and putting it back on the rack. "But you know what? I could use some lotion," she said, heading for that section. He followed her but stopped short when she came to a sudden halt in front of him. She spun around. "By the way, what was with that shove? Avoiding someone, hmmm? An ex perhaps."

Lucas laughed. "I wish," he said, his expression sobering. "My brother."

"Ahh, the mysterious brother. When are you going to give me the full scoop on that anyway?" she asked, turning back around and heading for the lotion again.

"He's a jerk, Hales. What else do you need to know?" Lucas asked.

"Well, when did you guys have a falling out?" She picked up a bottle of lotion. "Eww," she said after smelling it. She quickly closed the cover and put it back on the shelf, taking another one down.

"We never had a falling _in,_" he clarified.

Haley turned to look at him. "You don't talk to your brother at all?" she asked stunned. She couldn't imagine not talking to even one of her five siblings.

Lucas shook his head and put his hand in his pockets.

"Come on, Luke. He can't be _that_ bad," she said.

Lucas scoffed. "He's a bully. He has a cluster of followers who do whatever he tells them to do, and he has a great girlfriend who…he's awful to," he said, summing his brother up.

"Enough with the praise," Haley teased, looking back out into the mall. "Do you want me to beat him up for you?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood again. "I bet I could take him."

Lucas laughed. "You think so, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah," Haley said.

"He doesn't play fair," Lucas warned.

"Neither do I," she joked. "I'm not just another brain, you know. I have a ton of charm just dying to worm its way out of me."

Lucas laughed. "Funny I've never seen it."

She rolled her eyes. "Ha ha. I'm ready to check out now. Did you want to look at anything?" she asked.

Lucas gave her a dirty look. "Are you serious?"

"Of course. What was I thinking? The guy who wouldn't take the quiz isn't _having_ sex. What would _he_ need sexy lingerie for?"

After Haley grabbed a pair of knee length sweatpants and a fitted t-shirt off the rack closest to the register, impulse purchases, she and Lucas made their way back into the mall.

He casually draped an arm around her shoulders. "Just promise me one thing, Hales," he said.

"Anything," she said with a grin.

"Stay as far away from Nathan Scott as you can," he cautioned.

She kissed her friend on the cheek. "Done," she promised. She had no idea that it was going to be easier said than done.


	4. Chapter 3

"Well, your grades certainly are impressive," Principal Turner said, looking down at Haley's transcripts.

"Thank you," Haley said modestly.

"What I'd like to do, Haley, is let you settle in for the first three or four weeks. A new school can be intimidating, and I don't want to overwhelm you. After that, I'd like you to come see me again, and as long as your grades are where they should be—and it doesn't look like that should be a problem for you--then we'll get you in at that point." He smiled at her. "I think you're going to be a wonderful asset to our tutoring center," Principal Turner told Haley.

Haley smiled widely at him. "Thank-you, Principal Turner," she said. "I was very excited to find out that you had a tutor center. They didn't have one at my old school."

Principal Turner looked down at her file again. "It says here that you played basketball for three years. You made varsity your freshman year. Are you going to try out for our Lady Ravens?" he asked.

Haley tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "I haven't decided yet," she told him honestly.

"Tree Hill is a big basketball town," Principal Turner informed her.

"I know, but I'm more interested in graduating valedictorian than playing sports. My last school was smaller, and I was a shoo-in. Something tells me that I'm going to have to work a lot harder here."

"But you're tutoring," he pointed out.

Haley nodded. "I've got three years of basketball under my belt. Now I'd like to get some teaching experience under it."

Principal Turner nodded. "I see. Well, if you change your mind, Haley, try outs aren't for another couple of months," he told her, standing up. "Would you like a tour of the tutor center?" he asked.

"I would love one!" Haley said, getting to her feet. She followed him to the door. He turned left and she moved to follow him, but her eyes went to the right. She saw two guys heading for the gymnasium, both dribbling basketballs down the hallway. She stopped in her tracks. The taller of the two looked just like Scott from behind. The other one looked at her over his shoulder and gave her the once over. Haley sighed softly and rolled her eyes, then blew her hair off her forehead. _Get a grip, James, _she thought to herself._ Every single guy over six feet tall dribbling a basketball is __**not**__ your Scott._

"Haley?" Principal Turner said, pulling her back to reality.

"Sorry," she said, hurrying to catch up to him.

777

"Dude! Did you see that girl walking out of Principal Turners' office?" Tim Smith asked his best friend.

Nathan shook his head. "No, I was too busy concentrating on getting to the gym. You should be, too, Tim. Your game sucks!"

"Yeah, well, not all of us got to spend our summer at High Flyers," Tim joked, putting the ball up from the free throw line. It didn't go in. Nathan gave him a dirty look. "It sure looked like she was checking _you _out," Tim informed his friend.

"You better spend a hell of a lot of time in the gym, Tim," he said, ignoring his friends comment. "Your sorry ass isn't Ravens material as it stands right now."

Tim laughed. "It will be by the time try outs roll around," he assured Nathan.

"Good to hear," Nathan said, dunking the ball and hanging from the rim for a few seconds before letting go and landing on his feet.

Tim shook his head. "Show off."

Nathan shrugged. "I'm just good. It's hard not to notice."

"So, what's up with you and Peyton?" Tim asked putting the ball up again. This time it went in.

"We're back together, I guess."

"Back together? Dude, she made out with your brother," Tim reminded him.

"Don't call him that!" Nathan said heatedly. "He's not my brother. He's the bastard spawn."

"Whatever. She still made out with another guy."

Nathan grinned. "Well, I need to concentrate on basketball," he said. "And I can get what I want from Peyton. It's easier that wasting time finding another girlfriend. I'd hate to have to break another one in."

"Dude, that's just rotten."

"Whatever, Dim. At least I'm getting laid."

"Who says I'm not?"

"Are you?"

"No, but…it would be nice if you at least thought I could be."

"I may be a dumb jock, Tim, but I'm not _that_ dumb."

777

"Mom, we're going to the Rivercourt," Lucas said to his mother who was wiping down the counter at the bar.

"OK, Sweetie. Have fun!" she yelled after him and Haley.

"We will," Haley promised. Lucas looped an arm around her shoulders and the two headed for the front door.

"Hey, Karen," Peyton said, walking in. She put her car keys beneath the bar.

"Hey, Peyton," Karen said greeting her young club manager. Tric had been all Peyton's idea, and Karen had been content to let her run it. She'd just been the face behind the scenes with the checkbook.

Peyton nodded her head toward the door. "Who was that with Lucas?" she asked, trying to sound uninterested.

"Oh, that was his _girlfriend_ Haley," Karen said. "She's new in town and she asked Lucas if—"

"Hold that thought," Peyton said as the phone began to ring. "Club Tric," she said into the receiver.

Karen reached under the counter as her cell phone started ringing. She dug through her purse until she found it. "Hello?" she said, flipping it open.

Karen and Peyton hung up the phones at the same time. "I have to go!" Karen said in a rush. She removed her apron and threw it under the counter and placed her purse on her shoulder. "The café is really busy and the girls can't keep up. I need to be there. I'll be back later," Karen said.

"OK. Bye!" Peyton yelled after her boss.

_Girlfriend? _she thought as Karen left the club. Since when did Lucas have a _girlfriend_?

777

"So, you nervous for tomorrow, Hales?" Lucas asked.

Haley stood beyond the three point line and put it up. "What's to be nervous about?" she teased. "I'm going to have my pretend boyfriend with me."

Lucas grinned at her and rebounded the ball, throwing it back to her. She put it up, and again, it went in.

"Damn, girl! Look at you sink that ball!" he exclaimed. "Any chance you'll be playing basketball this year?" he asked.

"I'll tell you what," she said, catching the ball once again. "You play, I'll play."

Lucas laughed. "I don't think so," he said seriously.

"Lucas—you belong on the basketball court!" she told him solemnly.

"No, Haley," he disagreed. "My brother belongs on the basketball court. _I_ belong on the Rivercourt."

"You belong on the court with your brother," she told him. "Lucas—you're good."

"I'm not as good as he is."

Haley shrugged. "So what? It's not a comparison of who is better. One guy doesn't make the team, Lucas. All of them _together_ make the team. And yeah—you've got guys of different skill levels on every team. But they all contribute."

"And what would I contribute?" he asked.

"Heart," she said without hesitation.

"How do you know there already isn't enough heart on the team?" he asked.

Haley cocked an eyebrow at him and her eyes took on an amused gleam. "Because when I went to see Principal Turner this morning, he said that this was a big basketball town. You know what that tells me?"

"What?" he asked. She definitely had is interest now.

"It tells me that this town is hungry, not hearty," she teased.

He laughed. "You might be right."

"Hundred bucks says I am," she challenged.

"And how would we find out if you are or not?" he asked.

"You join the team and get us the inside scoop."

"Subtle, Hales," he said laughing.

"So, no dice, huh?" she asked disappointed.

"No dice," he confirmed, walking up to her and putting an arm around her neck. "You ready to get home? First day of school tomorrow. Don't you have…pencils to sharpen or something?" he teased.

Her eyes lit up. "As a matter of face, I do!" she said in a singsong voice. "And a few three ring binders to put together!" she said.

Lucas' eyes widened and he slowly nodded his head. "Lucky you," he said sarcastically.

She hit him softly in the stomach. "Shut up!" she said. "You spend all your time reading the classics—for fun, I might add, but _I'm_ the geek?"

"Boy am I glad that's cleared up!" he joked.


	5. Chapter 4

Lucas knocked on Haley's open bedroom door and walked in. "Hales? I got your 911 text. What's up?" he asked, looking around.

She stepped back from her closet with a panicked look on her face. "Thank God you're here!"

"Why…are you still in your pajamas?" he asked. "Are you chickening out on your first day of school?"

"No!" she said emphatically. "I _love_ the first day of school. I've already showered and stuff, but…I can't decide to what to wear." She smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes at him. "Help me?"

Lucas sighed. "Haley—I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a very masculine man."

"Yeah, I have noticed, and you're right. You _are._ In fact—the masculinity is so thick I can barely stand up beneath it. But—I need help, Lucas!"

Lucas groaned. "Why did you call _me_?"

Haley held up her hands in surrender. "Well I would have preferred to call a girl, but you're my only friend here so far, so you'll have to do."

"Thanks, Hales. Now I feel special," he said in a monotone voice.

"Oh, did I make you feel special?" she asked in a teasing voice. "That's not what I was going for."

Lucas sat down on her bed and took a deep breath. "What are the choices?" he asked.

"That's just the thing," Haley said. "I have _so_ many choices that I can't narrow it down."

He looked at his watch. "School starts in 45 minutes, Haley."

"I know!" she exclaimed. "And I'm a nervous wreck here, Lucas!"

He stood up. "Just so you know this is no picnic for me. And this is the last time I help you pick out…clothes," he said in disgust.

She walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Lucas."

He walked over to the closet and scanned it quickly. Then he pulled out a pair of khaki colored pants and a peach tank top with a v neck. "This color will look good with your tan," he told her.

"You're the best! I'll be right back," she said, walking toward the bathroom that was off her bedroom. She spun around before entering. "Oh, and see if you can find me some shoes to go with it!"

Lucas rolled his eyes and looked into the closet again.

777

"Do you see your brother?" Haley asked, shutting her locker and then turning around to check out the people in the hallway.

"No, and I doubt we will," Lucas told her.

"Why?" Haley asked as he started walking her to her first class.

"Because my brother is a jock," Lucas explained. "Not an intellect. Most schools do their lockers alphabetically, but this school figures out where most of your classes are, and then puts your locker on _that_ wing."

"Oh," Haley said. "So, when do you think we'll see him?" she asked.

Lucas shrugged. "Maybe lunch?" he asked. "Although, Peyton has a lot of AP classes, so maybe he'll stop by her locker to visit her."

Haley nodded. "I still haven't been introduced to her."

"Maybe tonight at Tric. This is you. Trigonometry with Mr. Lowe," he said outside the classroom they'd just walked up to.

She looked up at the number above the door to confirm. "It sure is," she agreed.

"I'll see you at lunch?" Lucas said.

"Sure thing, _Honey,_" she teased.

Lucas laughed and started walking away. "Bye, Babe," he threw over his shoulder.

777

"Dude, you are gonna so wanna scratch my back and buy me a Bentley when I give you the low down on this!" Tim Smith said to his best friend animatedly.

Nathan Scott rolled his eyes. "Just say you have something to tell me, Tim" he said.

"I have something to tell you, Tim" he said sarcastically.

Nathan shut his locker and started walking down the hallway with Tim at his side. "What is it, Tim?" he asked when his best friend didn't say anything.

"Dude—your brothers' girlfriend…is the one who was checking you out the other day!" he said excitedly.

"When?" Nathan asked confused.

"She was the one who was coming out of principal turner's office," he reminded Nathan.

"Where did you see her?" Nathan asked.

"Her first period class is right across the hall from mine," he said.

Nathan grinned broadly. _Oh, I could have some fun with this, _he thought.

777

"Who's the blonde with Lucas?" Nathan asked as he watched his brothers retreating form walk back into school. The nerd probably wanted to be _early _for class.

Peyton looked up. "Oh, that's his girlfriend. Holly," she said, remembering her name.

Nathan nodded.

"Why?" she asked.

"Just wondering," he answered.

Peyton nodded. "Look—I have to go. I have class on the other side of the building, and if I don't leave now, I'll be late," she said.

She moved to stand up, but Nathan grabbed her hand. "I was hoping for a little one on one before next class," he told her.

Peyton rolled her eyes. Ever since she and Nathan had decided to get back together, he'd only had one thing on his mind, and quite frankly, Peyton wasn't sure if this was working for her. She sighed. "Not now, Nathan."

"Pey—"

"I have to go," she said brusquely and left.

777

"And Haley James—your lab partner is going to be Peyton Sawyer," her teacher said.

Haley looked up as Peyton approached her lab table and sat down next to her. Haley pointed a finger at her. "You work for Lucas' mom at Tric," she said with a smile.

Peyton smiled back at her. "And you're Lucas' girlfriend," she said.

Haley laughed. "Yeah. But no," she said.

"Excuse me?" Peyton asked confused.

"Long story," Haley told her.

Peyton looked up at the clock. "I have forty two minutes."

Haley pursed her lips and squinted her eyes. "You know what? Maybe when I know you a little better, but for now, this story is a little embarrassing," she admitted.

"One night stand?" Peyton said sympathetically.

"What? No!" Haley whispered vehemently. "Definitely not."

"Virgin?"

"Well…"Haley said flustered. "You certainly are…abrupt, aren't you?"

"Sorry," Peyton said. "It's just that in my experience, you better say things quickly or you might not get to say them at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Long story," Peyton said.

Haley looked up at the clock. "I have forty minutes," she teased.

Peyton grinned back at her. "I think we're going to get along really well, Holly," she said.

"It's Haley," she whispered back. "And P.S., dibs on the scalpel."

"Huh?" Peyton asked.

"I love dissecting," she said.

Peyton grinned at her again. "Remind me to tell you about my past sometime. That should keep you busy for _days_."

Haley grinned back at her. She already liked Peyton. But if Lucas' brother was as much of a jerk as Lucas said he was then Haley couldn't figure out why she was dating someone like that.

777

"Hey, where ya goin'?" Tim asked Nathan, who closed his locker and took off down the hall in the opposite direction of the gym. "We have practice in ten minutes!"

"I need to go see Peyton," Nathan said, stalking towards the 'AP' wing. What he really wanted was to get a glimpse of this 'Holly' who was dating his bastard brother and had supposedly checked him out the other day. As far as he was concerned, he owed Lucas. Lucas had moved in on Peyton, and if Nathan could make it happen, Holly would be keeping _him_ warm in no time.

777

Haley waved to Peyton, who was at her own locker across the hall talking to a bubbly brunette. Peyton returned the wave, and then turned back to her friend. "So…how was it?" a voice behind Haley asked.

She turned around and smiled at Lucas. "It wasn't bad," she conceded.

"I knew you'd be fine," he said.

Haley grinned. "Yeah, but the homework they assign on the first day of school is…" she trailed off.

"Is what?" Lucas prompted.

"Freaking amazing!" she said excitedly. "I have enough to keep me busy for _hours_," she said.

Lucas laughed. "You _really _are a geek," he teased.

She grinned. "Yep." She tapped him on the nose with her finger. "And from now on, I'm also off limits on school nights, so you'll have to settle for Mouth, Junk, Jimmy, Skills and Fergie," she told him.

Lucas gave a fake gasp. "Whatever will I do without my _girlfriend_?" he asked.

Haley laughed. "I'm sure you'll manage," she said. She put the books that she wouldn't need tonight in her locker then shut it. Then, with a grunt, she lifted her book bag up onto her shoulder. "Ready to walk me home, boyfriend?" she asked jokingly.

777

Peyton jumped as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her neck from behind. "Nathan!" she scolded. "You jumped the shit out of me!"

"I'll see you later, buddy," Brooke said, turning around and heading down the hall.

Peyton sighed. "What are you doing here?" she asked annoyed.

He let go of her so she could turn around to face him and he lifted his hands in the air. "Can't a guy come to see his girl before practice?" he asked.

"Sure," Peyton said sarcastically. "It's just the guy in question has never bothered to do that before, so the girl is a little shocked."

"Peyton—" Nathan started but stopped as he noticed his brother across the hallway. Peyton followed his gaze. Nathan watched as Lucas kissed his girlfriend on the cheek and draped an arm around her shoulder. When they turned around his eyes widened in shock.

777

"After school snack at the café?" Lucas asked Haley.

"I don't know, Lucas. I have a lot of studying to do," she said, trying to decline the invitation.

He kissed her on the cheek and draped an arm around her shoulder. "Yes, but you still have to eat," he reminded her.

Haley turned around and they started walking down the hallway. "This is true," she said, looking down into her book bag for her cell phone. "I just need to call my—" Haley brought her head up and gave it an impatient shake to get her hair out of her eyes. That was when her eyes fell on the guy across the hall at Peyton's locker. She did a double take and then her breath caught in her throat. She stopped in her tracks.

Lucas leaned in. "_That_ is my brother," he whispered.


	6. Chapter 5

"Haley? Are you OK?" Lucas asked his friend, grabbing her by the elbow to steady her.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat, her eyes still on the young man across the hallway. "Yeah," she said, giving Lucas a half hearted grin. "What did you say your brothers' name is?" she asked in a whisper, willing her feet to move again. It was slow going, as the shock hadn't worn off yet.

"Nathan," he told her.

_Nathan __**Scott**_, she thought to herself, willing the tears not to come. He hadn't even told her the truth about his name. Haley wondered what else he'd lied to her about. "And he's dating _Peyton_?" she asked.

Lucas nodded in confirmation.

Haley took a deep breath and tried to reconcile herself to that thought. _Her_ Scott, her summer tryst—who'd been sweet, caring, and romantic, was the jerk that Peyton was dating, and her new best friends jerk of a brother who wouldn't even acknowledge him?

"Is everything OK?" Lucas asked again.

"Yeah," she said, putting a hand on his arm. _Shake it off, James._ "I'm fine," she said with a certainty that she wasn't feeling.

"OK," Lucas said, not convinced. But he wasn't exactly sure what was wrong, either.

"Ms. James!" they heard from behind them. They both spun around and Mr. Turner was standing just outside of his office.

"Hello, Principal Turner," Haley said.

"How was your first day at Tree Hill High School?" he asked.

Haley smiled weakly. "It was…a _day_ of surprises," she said honestly. "A nice first day," she added.

Principal Turner smiled back at her. "I'm glad it went well for you, Haley."

_Well, I wouldn't exactly put it __**that**__ way. _"Thank-you, Principal Turner," she said, turning around and heading for the exit with Lucas right beside her.

777

"That was Lucas' girlfriend?" Nathan asked Peyton for the second time. She slammed her locker shut and started walking down the hall. He fell into step beside her, fidgeting with the straps on his backpack.

"Yes, _that_ was Lucas' girlfriend. What's the fascination with her?" Peyton asked.

"She looks familiar," he said defending himself. _Of course she does_, he thought. He'd spent half his summer hanging out with her and kissing her senseless.

"She just moved here," she told him. "I doubt you know her."

"And you're _sure_ she's Lucas' girlfriend?" he asked again.

Peyton stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. "Yeah, I'm sure she's Lucas' girlfriend. Karen told me she was the other night when they were leaving Tric together."

"And her name's Holly?" he asked. Apparently he wasn't the only one who'd lied about his name.

"Actually, it's Haley," she said.

Or maybe he _was_.

"I had A & P lab with her this afternoon. Haley _James_," she clarified. "Let me know if you want me to get her number for you," she spat, stalking away.

"Peyton!" he yelled after her. She kept going without turning around. Nathan sighed in frustration and then headed in the opposite direction towards the gym.

777

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the café?" Lucas asked Haley again. They were standing at the end of her driveway.

She shook her head. "You know what? I think I need to de-stress after my first day at a new school," she told him.

"Do you want some help?" he asked.

"Oh, no. I want to de-stress all by myself," she told him with conviction.

"OK," Lucas said. "Call me later."

She smiled softly at her friend. "I will," she promised, turning around and heading for her house.

"So, how was your first day at school?" her mother asked when Haley walked through the front door.

"Oh, you know, shocking, scandalous…the usual," she teased her mom.

Her mother grinned at her. "Want to discuss it over a root beer float?" she asked.

"Can I take a rain check?" Haley asked. "I think I'm just going to head to the Rivercourt for a little bit," she said.

"Sure thing, Honey," her mom said. "Just be home for supper."

Haley nodded and ran up over the stairs and into her bedroom. When she got there, she threw her book bag on the floor and sat down on her bed, her breathing rapidly increasing. She lifted her hands up and ran them through her hair, trying to get control of her emotions. Was he really _here_? In Tree Hill? Out of all the places on the planet her father could have been transferred to, and he was transferred here. She closed her eyes, groaned, and flopped back on her bed. After a minute, she opened her eyes, and turned her head to the side. She grabbed her trusty friend and confided in him. "Can you believe it, Mr. Waffles? Out of all the people I could have met and made out with this summer, it was Lucas' long time nemesis." She sighed as Mr. Waffles continued to give her a blank stare. "No advice, huh?" she asked. "Yeah, this one might be hopeless," she told him, pulling him to her chest and giving him a crushing hug. Sighing, she put Mr. Waffles back in his spot, then threw her hair up, and changed out of her school clothes. She started to leave her room, but turned around and grabbed _Scott's _basketball off her bed. Yeah, she was going to use it now. Until the damn thing popped.

777

_"So," she said softly from his open doorway. Nathan's head snapped up and he smiled at her, moving to a sitting position on his bed in one move._

_"Hey," he said softly, smiling at her._

_She smiled sweetly back at him and tilted her head to the side. "There's…a local band playing tonight."_

_"Yeah? Where?" he asked, interested in doing anything that involved her._

_"At the seaside pavilion," she answered. "And I've got just enough cash to get us in," she told him._

_"I think I can afford it," he said, laughing._

_She shook her head. "It's on me," she said, walking further into the room._

_"On you, huh?" he asked._

_"Yeah," she whispered, taking the hand that he held out to her. He gave it a tug and pulled her down on__to__ his lap, loving the sound of her laughter.__ "So, are we on for tonight?" she asked._

_"Oh, we're on," he said, lifting a hand to the nape of her neck and pulling her face down to his. "We're definitely on," he said again, just before his lips met hers. _

"Nathan Scott!" he heard a booming voice say, bringing him swiftly back to the present.

He sighed and looked up, into the eyes of an angry Whitey Durham. "Did you learn a damn thing at High Flyers this summer?"

Nathan didn't say anything, just held his tongue. Last year at this time, he would have had some smart remark, but after Whitey's recommendation and the respect that he'd learned to incorporate into his game while he was at High Flyers, Nathan just kept his mouth shut.

"Sprints, now!" Whitey said.

Nathan sighed and headed for the sidelines.

That kiss might have been the last thing they did before leaving for the show that night, but every night in Nathan's dreams, it went a lot further than that.

777

Haley's sleep had been restless the night before, and she wasn't in a very good mood when she got to school. She'd overslept that morning—a first for her, and she was the only one in the hallway while getting ready for her first class. Every one else was already there. _Great,_ she thought. _I get to walk into a stupid class room already filled with students. _She shut her locker, and headed down the hallway, gasping when she felt a hand on her arm. Before she knew what was happening, she was pulled into an empty class room and pushed gently against the wall. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was manhandling her. She swallowed nervously. "Surprised?" he asked.

She could only nod.

"Yeah, me, too," he told her.

Haley's head finally cleared and she finally spoke. "What are you doing in the AP wing, anyway?"

"Looking for you," he said.

She sighed. "What are you doing? You have a girlfriend."

He shrugged. "And you're screwing my brother."

Haley's jaw dropped and she gave him a dirty look. "If I didn't remember what you were like at High Flyers, I'd slap you right now."

"I might like it," he shot back huskily.

She looked him up and down. "You're pathetic!" she spat.

"After all those nights I spent in bed pining for you, I'd have to agree," he said.

"Oh, please. It's hard to pine for someone while you're in bed with someone else."

Nathan shrugged. "It's easier than you'd think. What are you doing with Lucas? You're too good for him."

"Funny—he says the same thing about you."

"What are you doing with him?" Nathan repeated.

"Treating him a hell of a lot better than you ever have!" she retorted.

He dropped her arm as if she'd burnt him, and she saw the wounded look in his eyes at her words. Immediately, she felt contrite as she remembered once again how charming he had been this summer.

"You lied to me about your name," she whispered.

"No, I didn't," he denied, hating the disappointment in her eyes. "My name is Scott. Nathan _Scott_," he said.

Haley reached up and pulled the chain that was around her neck off. On it was Nathan's High Flyers MVP ring. She looked at it longingly, and then swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Here," she said softly, handing it to Nathan. "This belongs to someone who I only thought existed. And I don't want it anymore." She dropped it into his hand and walked out, leaving him standing there looking at the ring in his hand. She'd given him her only reminder of him. He was stunned at how much that hurt.


	7. Chapter 6

The bell rang signaling that her fourth class of the day was over, and Haley gathered up her books and notebooks and put them in her bag. When she walked out of the classroom, Lucas was waiting for her. She gave a tired smile.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he said back. "I missed you this morning. What happened?"

She sighed. "I overslept," she told him as they started walking toward their lockers. "And I'm sorry that I didn't call last night. I went to shoot around for awhile and after I did my homework I called Molly and we talked until midnight, then I went to bed. I didn't want to call you that late," she explained.

"It's OK," he assured her. "I was helping my mom and Peyton get ready for tomorrow nights first all ages night at Tric anyway."

"Oh. How is Peyton?" she asked in what she hoped was a neutral tone of voice.

Lucas shrugged. "She's OK. But she doesn't look very happy," he said concerned.

"She'll be OK," Haley said confidently.

"And how do you know that?" he asked.

Haley shrugged. "The girl's a survivor. I could tell after a single class with her."

"Yeah, well, you have no idea what Nathan Scott can do to a girl," Lucas said dryly.

"Oh, I have some," Haley muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Lucas asked.

"Umm… I'm starving. Did you bring lunch?"

He held up a paper bag.

"Me, too. It's in my locker. Meet me on the quad in ten?" she asked sweetly.

"I'll get us a table," he told her, turning around. She started heading for her locker.

"Haley?"

She turned around. "Yeah?"

Lucas hesitated. "Is everything OK?" he asked.

"Everything's fine," she assured him, feeling guilty for lying to her best friend. She continued on to her locker. She was going to have to tell Lucas about _Scott _and soon. Before it ate her up inside.

777

"Haley?" she heard her mother yell from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah?" she yelled from her bedroom.

"I'm going to the grocery store. Do you need anything?"

Haley sighed and ran a hand through her hair. It was six o'clock and she'd been doing homework and studying since she'd gotten home from school. Her brain was fried and she could use a break. "If you can wait a minute I'll come with you."

"OK. I'll be in the car."

Haley looked down at her attire—New York Knicks printed pajama bottoms and an orange t-shirt and decided it was good enough. She grabbed a pair of flip flops from her closet and eyed the oversized hooded sweatshirt at the foot of her bed. It had an L.A. Lakers emblem on it and was sure to clash, but she grabbed it anyway and put it on. After quickly throwing her hair up in a haphazardly looking bun, she ran down the stairs and out the front door. Her mother looked her up and down as she climbed into the car and buckled her seatbelt, but didn't say a word. "What, Mom?" Haley asked.

"I didn't say anything!" Lydia James exclaimed.

Haley rolled her eyes. "But you _want_ to."

Her mother sighed. "I just…I just don't understand the logic of flip flops and a hooded sweatshirt. If it's warm enough for flip flops, shouldn't it be warm enough for a T-shirt? And if it's cold enough for a hooded sweatshirt, isn't it cold enough for socks and sneakers?"

Haley laughed. "It's trendy, Mom," she explained.

"Since when do _you_ care about trends?" her mother asked knowingly.

"I don't. But I _love_ comfortable, and that's exactly what this is!"

Her mother laughed. "If that's you're story," she said, turning her attention back to the road.

777

Haley walked up to the cart and threw some Cheez Its and Trail Mix in. "Did you get my Pop Tarts?" she asked checking the contents.

Her mother pulled the box out of the top of the cart and held it up for her daughter to see. Frosted strawberry. Haley grinned. "You're the _best_, Mom!" she teased.

Lydia laughed. "I like to think so," she teased back. "Oh, that reminds me. Do you need any 'female equipment?'" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Mom!" Haley groaned. "Just say what you mean! Do I need any tampons?" she said in a singsong voice as they rounded the corner. Haley heard a screech as her mother ran into another shopper.

"Peyton!" Haley said, immediately recognizing her. "Are you OK?"

She rubbed her hip. "Yeah, I think I'm OK," Peyton said in a strained voice.

"Oh, Honey, I am so sorry!" Lydia said, touching the young girls arm.

Peyton gave her a reassuring grin. "It's OK," she said.

Lydia nodded.

"Oh!" Haley exclaimed. "Where are my manners? Peyton, this is my mother, Lydia James. Mom, this is Peyton. She's in my Anatomy & Physiology class and she works for Karen at Tric," she said.

"It's nice to meet you," Lydia said with a smile.

"You, too," Peyton said.

"Hey, Peyton, I found the ribbed ones, and some whipped…" Nathan Scott trailed off as he rounded the corner and saw Haley standing there with who he assumed was her mother. "Cream," he finished weakly, putting his hands behind his back.

Peyton cleared her throat, blushing furiously. "Nathan, this is Haley. Lucas' girlfriend," she reminded him with raised eyebrows as if she was challenging him.

Haley groaned inwardly as her mother's eyes flew to her face. "You and Lucas are _dating_?" she asked. "Since when?"

"We're _not _really…"

"You're not?" Peyton asked quickly. Too quickly, Nathan thought irately, as his eyes narrowed. His gaze returned to Haley and for the first time, he noticed what she was wearing. He couldn't help but grin as he recognized the sweatshirt he'd given her at the end of High Flyers that summer. He had forgotten all about it. Inexplicably, it made him feel better knowing she had something else that had belonged to him. So she hadn't given up her only reminder of him, after all. He watched as she crossed her arms over her chest, uncomfortable under his stare. He quickly looked away, but it didn't matter. He knew she had his sweatshirt. And something else. When he'd given her his sweatshirt, he'd also given her his lucky basketball.

Haley gave him a dirty look, and then turned to her mother. "Mom, this is…" her eyes returned to his face. "I'm sorry, I don't remember your name," she said sweetly.

"_Scott_," he supplied. "Nathan Scott."

"Right," she said softly. "Nathan."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. James," he said rearranging the items behind his back and then holding out his hand to shake hers.

It was all Haley could do not to roll her eyes.

"So, wait, you and Lucas _aren't _dating?" Peyton asked, returning to their earlier subject.

Haley shook her head.

"Honey, I'll be finishing up," Lydia said. "Find me when you're finished. And do you need…"

"Yeah, Mom," she said. "I need tampons."

Nathan cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"And _lots_ of them," Haley shouted to her mother's retreating form. She turned back to Peyton. "Well, it was nice seeing you."

"Wait. Why does Karen think you two are dating?" Peyton asked.

"It's along story, and incredibly dull. I don't want to bore you," Haley said not wanting to tell this story in front of Nathan.

"Oh, no. Bore me," Peyton said.

Nathan gave her a dirty look. "I'll be out in the car," he said angrily, thrusting the condoms and whipped cream at her. He turned back to Haley, fire in his eyes. "It was nice to meet you, Holly," he said, then started to stalk away.

"It's Haley," she called after him. "But you can call me _James_!"

He never even broke his stride.

"What's your boyfriends' problem?" Haley asked.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "He's just moody," she said.

"Well…lucky you," Haley said sarcastically.

"Yeah, lucky me," Peyton said softly. "I…guess I should go," she said. "It was nice to see you, Haley."

Suddenly, Haley felt sorry for her. Obviously she was dating Nathan, but she seemed incredibly lonely. "Peyton, if you ever want to talk…"

Peyton shook her head. "I'm not good at talking," she said quickly. "And—I've never done well with female friends. Well—with the exception of Brooke. But, thanks anyway. I'll see you Monday in A & P."

"See you Monday," Haley repeated as Peyton quickly walked away.

Haley sighed and went to find her mother.

777

"Well, I know one thing," Lydia James said in the car on the way home.

Haley pulled her eyes away from the window to look at her mother. "What's that?" she asked.

Her mother took her eyes off the road long enough to give her a quick look—a knowing one. "If I was Peyton, I'd be one angry girl."

Haley gave her mother a confused look.

"If my boyfriend looked at other girls the way Nathan was looking at you," she clarified.

"Mom!" Haley exclaimed.

"What?" Lydia said in a stern voice.

"He wasn't looking at me like…"

"Like what?" her mother asked.

Haley sighed. "Like anything," she said softly then turned back to the window. "He wasn't looking at me like anything."


	8. Chapter 7

"I'll be right back with your menus," Haley told the elderly couple with a smile. She turned and walked behind the counter, grabbing two to give to them. She went over to the coffee maker and grabbed a pot to refresh the coffee cups in her section. Karen was standing beside her, making fresh coffee in the other pot. She looked down at the menus in Haley's hand.

"Want to grab two more and help the table in the corner?" she asked.

"Sure," Haley said, grabbing another two and turning around with the coffee pot in her hand.

She stumbled when she saw the couple in the corner, but quickly regained her composure. _You can do this, James_, she coached herself. _You brought your team to states and scored a three pointer at the __frickin__' buzzer to win the game.__ You can take Nathan Scott's order for breakfast._

She dropped the first two menus off and then after freshening several cups of coffee, made her way to Peyton and Nathan's table. "Hey, Peyton," she said, ignoring Nathan.

"Hey, Haley. How are ya?"

"I'm good, thanks. Do you guys know what you want or do you need to look at a menu?"

"I know exactly what I want," Nathan said, looking her in the eye. He abruptly looked away and leaned down, his mouth coming down on Peytons', surprising her. She gasped and he shoved his tongue in her mouth.

Haley wrinkled her nose at the display and dropped the menus on the table. "I'll be back to get your drink order," she said, walking away.

Peyton hit Nathan in the chest hard until he pulled away and the she gave him a dirty look. "Nathan! What the hell are you trying to do? Swallow me whole?"

Nathan shrugged as if nothing was wrong. "I was hungry and our waitress is taking too long."

"_Haley_ is doing just fine. You, on the other hand," Peyton sighed in disbelief. "I'm not so sure about you."

"What the hell does that mean?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

Peyton looked him up and down. "It means that since you've gotten back from High Flyers and decided to give me a second chance—which by the way, I'm wondering if it was even a good idea— you've been interested in nothing but getting laid."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "I'm a guy, Peyton."

"You're a prick, Nathan," she corrected him.

"Whatever," he said indifferently.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Do you know what you're getting?" she asked.

"Yeah," Nathan said angrily. "Pissed off. Where the hell is Holly?"

"Nathan, her name is Haley, and she's a really nice girl. Cut her some slack. She's new in town and the only person she really knows is Lucas."

"Now I just feel sorry for the broad," he said.

Peyton ignored his comment. "I think I'm going to get French Toast," she said. "What are you getting?"

777

"I can't believe I have to wait on your brother!" Haley hissed to Lucas, who was sitting at the counter. He bit off half of his sausage link and then washed it down with some orange juice. Haley grabbed the other half off his plate and put it in her mouth.

"Hey!" Lucas said.

"I'm sorry," she said after she'd swallowed it. "I'm an emotional eater."

"You are?"

"Nahh," she said with a grin. "I'm just hungry. Wish me luck."

Lucas laughed sarcastically. "Good luck with the hotshot."

Haley walked away, whacking him on the back of the head.

"Do you know what you want yet?" she asked in a forced friendly voice as she approached Peyton and Nathan again.

Nathan cleared his throat. "I'm a little worn out after last nights' activities," he told her, grinning down at Peyton who gave him a scowl in return. "What would you suggest?"

"A condom and foam," Haley shot back. She cheered inside when Nathan gave her a glare.

Peyton's eyes widened.

"And a little respect for your girlfriend," she included.

Peyton gave her a grin. "I'm gonna have the French Toast with a side of bacon," she told Haley.

"Good choice," Haley said, writing it down.

"I'm gonna have the big breakfast," Nathan told her in an angry tone.

Haley nodded and wrote it down. "And to drink?"

"I'll have coffee," Peyton told her.

"The same," Nathan said.

"I'll be right back with your coffee," she said, closing her pad and walking back towards the counter.

"Why did you have to hit me so hard?" Lucas asked, still rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, don't be such a girl," Haley told him unsympathetically.

"So, are you going to be there tonight?" Lucas asked.

Haley shook her head, picking up two mugs and a pot of coffee. "I'm sorry," she said. "But my Dad is leaving tomorrow on a business trip and it's always this big thing where we all go out to eat together the night before he goes," she told him.

"Tric is gonna be open until two," he reminded her.

Haley's eyes strayed to Nathan and Peyton and she swallowed anxiously. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to start my night out at ten o'clock, Lucas," she told him, walking away. She didn't want to be where Peyton and Nathan were going to be tonight.

She filled their mugs with coffee. "Enjoy," she said, dropping a few creamers on the table and walking back to the counter again.

"But I went with you to get your high-lights," Lucas reminded her.

She leaned over the counter and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "And I appreciate that," she assured him. "But, clubbing isn't my thing."

"You know, I'm doing it to help my mother out. Clubbing isn't really my thing, either. But then again, neither is watching you get high-lights," he said angrily, getting up and walking away.

"Lucas!" Haley said after him.

"I'll see you later," he said, then turned around. "Oh, right, I won't. Have fun with your parents," he said on his way out the door.

Haley's eyes flew to Nathan and Peyton's table, and Nathan was sitting there with a self satisfied smirk on his face. Haley was itching to smack it off.

777

"Hey," Haley said, sitting down at the bar in front of Peyton. She'd been feeling guilty ever since Lucas had left the café that morning. She knew he was right. Whenever she wanted him to be there, he was. It was time to return the favor.

"Well it's a surprise to see _you_ here," Peyton said.

"Why is that?" Haley asked.

"Lucas has been spouting off about you all day."

Haley laughed. "I'm sure he has been. He was pretty mad when I told him that I decided not to come tonight. Is he here?" she asked looking around.

"No, he's out with Karen looking for some more chairs. We're pretty sure the place is going to be packed tonight."

"Small town? All ages night in a hot club?" Haley said while giving the place a once over. "Yeah, I'd say it's going to be packed."

Peyton's eyes lit up. "You think Tric is hot?" she asked excitedly.

Haley laughed. "Yeah," she said. "And I bet I'm not the only one who'll think so."

"Thanks," Peyton said. "I'm a little nervous. Tric is kind of my baby and I just want it to do well."

Haley grinned. "I thought you didn't do too well with talking."

Peyton grinned back at her. "So, Lucas tells me you moved here from Seattle?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah. It's just a bit smaller here," she said laughing.

"At least you got to spend one last summer with your friends," she said.

Haley shook her head. "Not really," she said.

"How's that?"

Haley shrugged. "I spent the summer away at camp," she said evasively.

"What kind of camp?" Peyton asked.

Haley cleared her throat nervously. She didn't like this line of questioning. She didn't want to lie to Peyton, but neither was she going to tell her about the time she spent with Nathan. "Just…a summer camp."

Peyton rested her arms on the counter and leaned forward. "Coed?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

Haley nodded.

"I always dreamed of going away to a coed camp and being swept off my feet," Peyton said in an amused voice. "Until I realized I'd just be swept away to another high school with the same drama," she said dryly.

Haley laughed.

"Did you meet any hot guys?" Peyton asked.

"Just one," Haley said quietly.

"Wow. What was he like?" Peyton asked.

"He was…an enigma, that's for sure," Haley said honestly.

Peyton grinned. "Anyone I'd know?" she asked in a teasing tone.

Haley gave a deep sigh. "Trust me, Peyton. The man I met this summer isn't like anyone I've met here in Tree Hill," she said fiercely.

Peyton nodded. "Yeah, the guys in Tree Hill aren't exactly cream of the crop," she said.

Haley laughed.

"Take my guy, for example," Peyton said bitterly. "When he went away to camp for the summer, we were sort of on the outs."

This piece of information made Haley perk up instantly.

"When he came home, he said that we could give our relationship another try. But since then, it's all about sex, sex, sex," she said making a disgusted face.

Haley could feel a stab, stab, stab in her heart, which didn't entirely make sense to her. She'd already reconciled herself to the fact that there were two very different sides of Nathan Scott, and she'd seen the fake one. "Are you sure we should be having this conversation?" she asked uncomfortably. At first she'd been hungry for any information about Nathan, but the turn of topic was just a little too much for her to take now.

Peyton shrugged. "Probably not. But my other friend is way to wrapped up in her own love life right now, so you'll do," she said with a teasing grin.

"Gee, thanks," Haley said, standing up. "I have to get going, but it was good to see you again, Peyton."

"You, too. Should I tell Lucas you stopped by?"

Haley shook her head. "No. I think I'm just going to surprise him tonight by showing up," she said.

"Then I'll see you later," Peyton said.

Haley grinned at her over her shoulder. "See you later," she said on her way out. "And good luck with your Tric debut," she said.


	9. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: I'm not even sure where to__ start wi__t__h__ tonight's episode! It was so good. There were a lot of really good one-__liners in this one__! And I think Brooke is fast becoming my favorite character. I love this more mature version of her. And Nathan and the nanny? Ugh. It makes me want to yank the laptop out of Mark Schwahn's hands__ and ground him__ until he can come up with something more original__! And why is Peyton wearing the same outfit in every single episode? She really should break into Brooke's store and steal a whole new wardrobe! Hers is just not doing anything for me this season! I know she's grown up now, but I miss her hoodie collection! Anyway, my rant is done! Enjoy!_

Nathan Scott was lying on his bed tossing his autographed Michael Jordan basketball into the air and catching it repeatedly. He turned his head to look at his clock and groaned. Ten o'clock on a Friday night and he was home. Ridiculous. The whole team was at Tric right now, and he couldn't go because Peyton was there. Nathan sighed and stood up from his bed. He steadied his basketball on his dresser and looked at himself in the mirror above it, then ran a hand through his hair. He'd be damned if Peyton Sawyer was going to keep him in on a Saturday night. He ran down the stairs and put his sneakers on. He grabbed his keys off the hook by the door and then headed for the club.

777

"I can't believe you sent me this shirt!" Haley exclaimed into the phone. She pulled on the V between her breasts and tried to tug it up some more. "And what's more, I can't believe I'm actually wearing it!" Haley unbuckled her seat belt and dug into her purse for some cash. The shirt her friend had sent her was a cap sleeved t shirt with a plunging V-neck. She had paired it with some dark blue jeans and a pair of flip flops, her toenails painted to match the shirt.

Molly laughed from the other end of the phone. "Someone has to hinder you from committing fashion suicide," she teased.

Haley's mouth opened in surprise. "Just so you know my jaw just dropped. And my fashion sense isn't _that _bad," she defended herself.

"Is, too!" Molly said.

Haley laughed. "So, what's on the agenda in Seattle tonight?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," she said. "I still have a few hours to think about it."

Haley sighed. "Lucky you. I have to go into a club where I know all of two people who are going to be there tonight. And judging by this parking lot, it's going to be midnight before I find either one of them."

"Well have fun! And get your butt out of the car and into the club, girl!" Molly scolded.

"I'm going, I'm going. Tell everyone I said hi. And thanks for the chat, Molls."

"You're welcome, Hales," she said sweetly. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too," she said, closing her phone.

Haley sighed anxiously and got out of her car, then started walking hurriedly toward the entrance of the club. The parking lot was deserted and it wasn't very well lit. She could swear she heard footsteps behind her and she quickened her pace even more just in case it wasn't her overactive imagination. "Haley!" she heard from behind her.

She turned around still jogging, and tripped. She squealed as she started to fall, her arms flailing, but a pair of strong hands grabbed her by the waist steadying her. As she regained her balance, she immediately started struggling.

"Haley!"

She recognized the voice this time and looked up. "Oh my God! You scared me half to death, Sco—_Na__t__h__an._" she spat. She turned around and tried to be on her way, but he still had something that belonged to her. She looked down. "Let go of my wrist!" she said frantically. Then her eyes returned to his face. He slowly shook his head no. "Let go of my wrist!" she repeated defiantly.

He looked down at her and shook his head again, slower than before. He watched as her eyes filled up with tears. "Let go of me," she said a third time, and a third time, even slower, he shook his head no. He heard a catch in her breathing and tried to pull her to him, but she wouldn't budge, so he closed the gap between them with a single step.

"Me and Peyton broke up," he whispered.

"I don't _care,_" she said emphatically.

"I don't want her," he continued, his eyes locked on hers.

"Are you _not_ getting the message?" Haley asked. "I don't _care!"_

"I want _you_," he said forcefully.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I don't even know you," she said brokenly.

He let go of her wrist and lifted his hands to her cup her face. "You know me, Hales. You _know_ you know me."

She shook her head, two tears falling down her cheeks. "I only thought I did," she insisted.

"You might be the only one who _does_," he whispered before his lips came down onto hers.

He started to kiss her gently and at first she didn't respond. When he heard her whimper, he almost pulled away, afraid he was scaring her. The next second, she lifted her hands to his waist and gathered his shirt in her hands, pulling his lower body closer to hers. He heard her choke on what he thought might be a sob, but he wasn't sure. When his tongue teased the seam of her lips, she opened and he tentatively let his tongue wander into her mouth. When her tongue touched his, he could hardly stand it. He'd been wanting this since the last time he saw her over six weeks ago. Hell—he'd even dreamt about it. His hands fell from her face and wrapped protectively around her waist, pulling her flush against him. He felt her fingers dig into his waist and groaned. Before he knew what was happening, she pulled away. There was a fear in her eyes and she was breathing heavily, he thought with some satisfaction. He was, too.

"Please don't tell Lucas about this," she pleaded with him. "Please don't tell him about any of it. Not High Flyers, not this kiss. _Nothing._"

"Haley—"

"Please!" she said again. She looked so distraught, he could only nod. As soon as he did, he regretted it because it was then that she turned and fled. She ran up the steps to the entrance of the building and disappeared inside. Nathan put his hands in his pockets and watched as she ran through the front door. He sighed and lifted a hand to his head, rubbing his right temple. He waited five minutes until he knew she was safely inside and then walked slowly towards the entrance. He'd made her a promise, and despite his dislike for his brother, he didn't want to break it.

777

"Hey!" Haley said, giving Lucas a tap on the shoulder.

He turned around and pulled her into his arms, giving her a big hug. "Hey! What are you doing here?" he asked, pulling away.

"I'm watching you get your high lights done," she said cheerfully.

He gave her a puzzled look.

"You're a good friend, Lucas. You do things with me that you have absolutely no interest in so you can spend time with me. Now I'm doing the same for you."

He grinned at her in understanding then suddenly his expression sobered. "Hales, have you been crying?" he asked, lifting a hand to her cheek.

"No!" she said quickly, taking a step back and wiping at her cheeks. "I just sneezed on the way in and my eyes watered so much they overflowed. I think I have too much perfume on," she admitted.

"Well, I can't even smell it," he told her.

"Oh, good. I was worried it would be too strong. So, what're you doing back here?" she asked, looking around. She was desperate to change the subject. She hated lying to him. "Why aren't you out there having fun?"

"I was just grabbing a case of bottled water too bring out to the bar," he told her.

"Do you need some help?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm good," he said.

"OK." She followed him back to the chaos and had a seat while he brought the water behind the bar. Peyton walked over and grinned at Haley. "What's your poison?" she asked in a joking tone of voice.

"I'll have a water," Haley told her, speaking loudly so she could be heard above the blaring music. Peyton bent down to grab one out of the cooler, and Haley couldn't help but notice how happy she looked for someone who'd just broken up with her boyfriend. "You were worried for nothing," she said.

"What?" Peyton asked, twisting the cap off the water and placing it in front of Haley.

"I said you were worried for nothing!" Haley repeated.

Peyton shrugged. "A little worrying is good for me," she said.

"Hey, P. Sawyer," Haley heard a voice next to her say.

She turned around and saw the girl who'd been at Peyton's locker the other day sitting next to her. "Haley, this is my friend Brooke Davis," she said. "Brooke, this is Haley James."

"It's really nice to meet you," Haley said with a grin.

Brooke quickly looked her up and down. "Right," she said caustically, turning back to Peyton. Haley couldn't help but feel as if she'd been insulted and dismissed all with one comment. Her eyes flew to Peyton's whose cheeks were red.

Luckily, Lucas came to her rescue. "Care to dance?" he asked from behind. A fast song was playing and Haley had been tapping her foot in time to the beat.

She turned on her stool and jumped down. "I think that's a great idea," she said as he led the way to the dance floor. She was desperate to get away from the brunette.

777

Nathan's eyes trailed Haley as she was led onto the dance floor by his bastard brother. His lip curled up in disgust. "What's _that _look for?" Tim asked from beside him. He followed Nathan's gaze.

"No reason," Nathan said, turning back to the table and lifting his water to his lips. He took a long drink hoping to even his temper. How in the hell could she have spent all that time with him that summer, and then his brother now? They were complete opposites.

"Dude, were you checking out the girl with your brother?" Tim asked amused.

"No," Nathan said vehemently. Haley wanted him to keep his mouth shut about them? Fine. But he wasn't going to make this easy for her. He wanted her, and he was going to have her. He took another swallow of his water and had to force himself not to look at the dance floor. Or bash his brother's head in. Lucky bastard. If it had been a slow song, Nathan would have had to hit him.


	10. Chapter 9

The cell phone on Haley's nightstand started ringing, so she leaned over Lucas, who was lying on the other side of her bed to pick it up. She looked at the caller ID and rolled her eyes.

"Again?" Lucas asked with a grin.

"Yep," Haley said dryly, opening her phone. "Hey, Mom," she said.

"Hi, Honey," Lydia James greeted her daughter.

"Mom, you _do_ know that you could just yell up the stairs to talk to me, right?" Haley asked in an amused tone.

"Well this house is so much bigger than our last one, and I just want to make sure that you can hear me OK," her mother said, defending herself.

"Mom, I can hear you just fine. You're standing at the bottom of the stairs," Haley said.

"How did you know that?" Lydia asked, surprised.

Haley laughed. "Because your voice carries," she said.

"Oh, OK. Well, I have to go, then," Lydia said as she hung up. "Haley, honey," she yelled from her place at the bottom of the stairs. "Your dad is done with the hoop!"

"Thanks, Mom," she yelled back.

Lucas laughed. "Your mom is something else."

Haley grinned at the comment. "Isn't she, though?" she agreed affectionately. Haley knew that her relationship with her mother was special. Most teenagers didn't get along with their moms as well as she did, and Haley never took that for granted. She turned to face Lucas. "How about a game of one on one?" she asked. "We can break in my new hoop."

Lucas groaned. "But I'm so _comfortable_," he said in a whining tone.

Haley stood up. "I'll spot you six points," she bribed.

Lucas looked up at her. "You think I need six points to beat your sorry butt?" he asked.

She smiled down at him. "I think it would increase your chance of winning, yes," she teased.

"That sounds like a challenge," he said.

Haley shrugged. "Whatever you want, Luke. Come on," she said, holding her hand out to him. "It's almost dark, but if we hurry, we can probably get in a good game."

Lucas lifted his hand to hers and let her tug him off the bed. "I am so sick of beating your ass at basketball, James."

Haley's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "Oh, it's on," she said, grabbing her ball off the dresser and leading the way out of her room. They bounded down the stairs and through the front door.

Her father was standing in front of the hoop, arms crossed over his chest, looking up at it appreciatively. She walked up beside him. "Well done, Dad," she teased, her gaze following his upward to the net.

Jimmy James grinned down at his daughter then grabbed the ball from her. He put it up from where he was standing, and after circling the rim a few times, it went in.

Lucas was there for the rebound. "Nice," he said with a nod.

"Thanks," Jimmy said. "So, what do you kids say? A little two on two?" he asked. "You and Luke here against your old Mom and Pops?"

Haley grinned. "You mean the youth playing the elderly? How much of a game would that _really _be?"

Her father gave her a teasing glare. "Watch your mouth, Little Girl," he warned.

Haley laughed. "You need to watch your heart, Dad," she reminded him.

Jimmy grinned. "You never let me have any fun," he grumbled.

"How can you say that?" Haley asked with mock indignation. "We just had a rousing game of Parcheesi just last night," she reminded him.

"Yes, the fun never stops," he said dryly. He wiggled his eyebrows. "Speaking of which, I'm going to go see what your mother's doing."

"Oh, gross, Dad!" Haley said as her father made his way to the front door.

"Now there's a visual I wasn't expecting," Lucas said with a disgusted look on his face.

"Shut up and shoot, Lucas. And just—do whatever you have to do to get that thought out of my head!" she begged.

Laughing, Lucas passed her the ball. "Your ball," he told her. "And you're six points up," he told her.

Haley shrugged. "It was bound to happen anyway," she said with arrogance.

777

"Don't worry, Lucas," Haley said half an hour later. "I won't tell anyone that you lost to a girl," she teased.

Lucas laughed. "I let you win."

Haley rolled her eyes. "You know what? I'm going to stop this conversation right here and let you hold on to that tiny shred of masculinity that you have left. _That's_ what I'm going to do for you, Lucas."

Lucas laughed and then changed the subject. "So, congratulations are in order," he announced.

"Really?" Haley said, her eyes lighting up. "Why is that?"

"Rumor has it you're trying out for the basketball team," he said.

"I wonder who started that rumor," she said with a frown.

"I did."

"What?"

Lucas grinned. "You said that if I tried out, you'd try out," he reminded her.

"Yes, but—" It suddenly dawned on Haley what Lucas was trying to tell her. She let out a squeal. "You're trying out?"

Lucas nodded. "Yep. And as per our deal, so are you."

Haley grinned. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?" she asked. "When my only friend makes the team, I'll have a ton of spare time on my hands if I don't have my own thing going on."

"Hold on, there, Hales. We don't know yet if I'm going to make it," he said with just an edge of tension in his voice.

"I know you are, Luke," she disagreed. "And I can't wait to see you in a Raven's uniform."

Lucas rolled his eyes.

"You're going to look so _hot_," she teased. "Those cheerleaders aren't going to know what to do with themselves."

He curled his lip up in disgust. "You talking about me looking hot is worse than your dad joking about sex with your mom," he said.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Luke. Now the visual is back."

"For me, too," he said with a shudder. "Listen, I have to go. I still have some homework to do," he told her.

"OK. I'll see you tomorrow morning, then?"

Lucas shook his head. "Nope. First day of tutoring, remember?"

Haley grinned. "Oh, yeah. So I'll be at the school at like…dawn," she said excitedly.

Lucas smiled back at her. "Good luck," he said.

"Thanks. Night, Lucas," she said.

"Night, Hales," he said as he left.

Haley turned back to the hoop and shot around for a little bit. It was dark outside, but the outside light on the garage let off enough illumination so that the area around the hoop was bright enough to see.

"God, I missed watching you with a basketball," she heard from behind her.

She spun around just in time to see Nathan remove his earphones. He slung the cord around his neck.

"A game of one on one?" he asked with a gleam in his eyes.

"I'm not interested in playing ball with you," she said snootily.

He gave her a smirk—one that not too long ago, she'd adored. If Haley was honest with herself, a small part of her still did, but at this moment, Haley wasn't being honest with herself. "Who said anything about basketball?" he asked.

Haley sighed and pulled the ball to her stomach, wrapping her arms around it. "What do you want, Nathan?" she asked. She couldn't help but notice that his shirt was soaked with sweat and he was breathing heavily. She had to force herself to look at his face. It wasn't fair that his arms were right there in plain sight for her to see.

"I was just out for a run," he said.

"And you _just_ happened to run by _my_ house?" she asked doubtfully.

"I happen to run by this house _every_ time I run," he admitted. "I just didn't realize it was _your_ house. So, are you trying out for basketball?" he asked changing the subject.

Haley sighed. "As it turns out, I am," she told him.

Nathan grinned. "I can't wait to see you play."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Speaking of games, why did you even stop to talk to me?"

He stood there for a minute studying her face. "I thought we were friends," he said quietly.

Haley shook her head. "No. _Lucas_ and I—are friends," she said firmly. "I don't know _what_ the hell we are." She spun around and headed for the front door.

"See you tomorrow, Haley," Nathan said to her back.

"Not if I see you first," she muttered, letting the screen door slam shut behind her. Haley continued up the stairs, through her bedroom, and into her own private bathroom.

She hadn't worked up that much of a sweat when she'd played basketball with Lucas, but it was enough of one that she wanted a shower before she crawled into bed. She stepped under the water and sighed as thoughts of Nathan clouded her mind. She was still having a hard time reconciling the fact that the sweet, gentle, and patient Scott she'd met this summer was the Nathan she'd heard about from Lucas and Peyton. Their assessments of him had been less than flattering.

When he'd cornered her at school the first time, it had been easy to be angry with him, but Haley couldn't help but remember his words when he'd tracked her down outside of Tric. _You know me, Haley. You __**know **__you know me, _he'd said. She wished she could relive that moment again and really listen to the tone of his voice. Had there been a desperation to it? Haley sighed as she tried to answer the question that had been plaguing her for the last few weeks. Which Nathan Scott was _real_?


	11. Chapter 10

_Author's Note: I have to be honest and tell you that I don't love this chapter. It's mostly a filler to get us to try outs! Let me know what __**you**__ think!_

"Well, it's official," Haley said three weeks later as Lucas crossed the T's in his last name.

He nodded thoughtfully.

"Are you sure about this, Lucas?" she asked. "I think you'd be such an asset to _any _basketball team, but I don't want you to do this because I want you to," she said quickly.

Lucas put an arm around her shoulder. "Always so full of yourself, aren't you, James?" he asked with a grin as they started down the hallway. "I'm trying out to see if I've got what it takes," he told her.

She tilted her head sideways and gave him a small smile. "You _do_, Lucas."

He gave her a squeeze. "I love your faith in me, Hales," he said. He put a hand on his heart. "It makes me misty eyed," he said in a teasing tone.

She socked him on the arm. "Cut it out, Lucas. I'm trying to have a moment here!"

Lucas sighed. "We really need to get you some female friends, James. I don't do the 'moments' thing."

Haley looked up at the sign indicating they'd made their way to the tutor center. "This is my stop," she said.

"All right. I'll see you at lunch?"

Haley nodded. "I'll be there," she said in a light tone. "Have fun in the library."

Lucas held up his copy of The Winter of Our Discontent with a grin. "I will."

He headed for the library and Haley walked into the tutor center, dropping her bag on the nearest table. Lisa looked up from the textbook she was studying while the student she was tutoring worked on a mock quiz. "Hey, Haley," she said.

"Hey," Haley said with a smile, making her way to the clipboards on the far end of the wall. She picked up the a.m. schedule to see that it hadn't changed. She didn't have any one scheduled for this morning. But the faculty liked to have at least one student there in the a.m. available in case anyone came in to inquire about tutoring or an unusually difficult assignment they'd had. She sat down at the table and opened her bag, pulling out her trigonometry text and looking over the problems she'd finished the night before. Half an hour later the bell rang and Haley closed her book. She put it in her bag and stood up, heading for the door.

"Oh, Haley!" Lisa said.

She spun around. "Yeah?"

"I forgot to tell you. You have a session scheduled for this afternoon," Lisa told her. "We're the only two available on Tuesday afternoons, and I've already reached the maximum amount of students I can tutor, so this one went to you."

"OK. Thanks for letting me know, Lisa," she said.

"Sure," the girl said, leaving the room.

Haley walked back towards the clipboards again and picked up the p.m. schedule. She scanned the page for her new student, and when her eyes found the name, she could feel her body temperature rising. "Over my dead body," she murmured, immediately making her way to Principal Turner's office.

777

Haley squirmed uncomfortably in her seat and met Principal Turner's eyes. "The thing is, Principal Turner, Nathan and I sort of have a history," she explained, surprised at the relief she felt to finally admit it to someone.

"You have a history?" Principal Turner repeated, evidently looking for clarification.

Haley bit her lower lip and nodded uncertainly. "Yes. It's…problematical."

Mr. Turner sat back in his seat and folded his hands in his lap. "Miss James, are you asking for me to assign Nathan Scott to another tutor?" he asked.

Haley gave a huge sigh of relief. "Yes! Oh, thank you so much for understanding!"

"Hold on, Haley," he said sternly. "I asked if that's what you _wanted_. I didn't say I was going to give it to you."

"But—" Haley stammered.

"I _will_ reassign Nathan," he said. "But if I do, I'm afraid that you'll have to resign your position in the tutor center. "

"Principal Turner!" she exclaimed.

"The tutoring center is no place for personal differences. And I'm afraid if you can't put yours aside, then I'm not sure this is the right job for you."

Haley sighed and stood up. "Thank you for your time, Principal Turner," she said. "I only have forty minutes left of my free period, and I'd better prep for my session this afternoon," she conceded.

"Good choice, Miss James," Principal Turner said appreciatively. "I would've hated to lose you."

777

"_You're_ my tutor?" an amused voice said from the doorway.

Haley looked up. "Like you didn't know," she said unpleasantly.

He held his palms up as he walked into the room. "I swear I didn't," he said.

Haley's eyes met his and he knew she didn't believe him. He sat down across from her at the table and pulled his Algebra II textbook out. "I'm surprise you didn't try to get me reassigned," he said in a teasing tone.

Haley lifted her chin defiantly. "Look, can we please just study?" she asked.

Nathan sat back in his chair, a huge grin gracing his face. "You did! You so tried to get me reassigned!" He laced his fingers together and put his hands on the back of his head. Haley couldn't help but notice how his T-shirt molded to his chest when he did that. She hastily looked away. "So, what happened?" he asked. "No one else wanted me?"

"Nathan—" she said hesitantly.

"Come on, Hales," he said. "There has to be a good story here." He forced himself to keep the grin in place on his face, but it was hard when he'd heard her call him Nathan. It was a reminder of who he _wasn't_.

Haley sighed. "First of all, _don't_ call me Hales," she said abruptly. "Second of all—it's none of your business."

"Are you ever gonna give me a second chance?" he asked softly.

"Are you going to give your brother a _first_ one?" she shot back.

She watched as Nathan visibly flinched. "It's complicated," he said.

"At High Flyers, you told me that you'd give anything to know your brother," she reminded him.

He shrugged. "That was a lie."

"No it wasn't!" she said heatedly.

"Haley, you didn't tell Lucas I said that did you?" Nathan asked with an edge of panic in his voice.

She shook her head. "No. But I hope one day…_you_ do," she said softly. "Neither one of you realizes how amazing the other one is."

Nathan grinned at her and she realized too late her slip of the tongue.

"Are you gonna try to save the world, Haley?" he asked.

"No," she said gently. "Just the Scott boys."

Until now, Haley had been so angry with Nathan that she'd been too busy to see how much the brothers needed each other. Lucas with his inferiority complex and Nathan with his 'I'm all that' attitude. It was suddenly crystal clear to her what she needed to do. She was going to get the Scott boys to talk to one another if it killed her. And after hearing the rumors that flew through these old hallways, she was afraid it just might.

"So, about that second chance…"

Haley sighed. "I'm not planning on it," she informed him.

"Plans change," he told her.

"Not mine. Mine are pretty much etched in stone," she said.

"And what are they?"

She studied his face for a minute. "Why do you even want to know?" she asked.

"I'm curious."

"Fine. My primary goal…is to make it through this school year. Alive. I want to graduate valedictorian, and then I want to go to Stanford."

"That's a long ways away," Nathan said softly.

"It's only a year and a half, Nathan!"

"No," he said. "I mean Stanford. It's…really far away."

Haley lifted an eyebrow at him. "Well, you're good at geography," she said.

Nathan opened his textbook. "Let's just study," he said brusquely. But only one thing was on his mind. _Haley wanted to go all the way to __**Stanford?**_

777

"It's off, Tim," Nathan said, putting the ball up.

"What do you mean, it's off?" he asked. "It just started!"

"She's a good girl," Nathan said.

Tim stopped in midstride, and his jaw dropped. "And you're a _bad boy_!" he reminded his friend. "Where is this attack of conscience coming from?"

Nathan shook his head. "I'm not done screwing with Lucas, I'm just gonna find another way to do it."

"And how's that?" Tim asked.

"We're gonna freeze him out," Nathan said, putting the ball up again. "He wants to try out for the team? We can't stop him. But we _can_ stop him from getting the ball," he said deviously.

"I love the way those wheels in your head turn, Scott," Tim said with a grin.

"And don't call me Scott anymore," Nathan said.

Tim frowned. "But we've always called you Scott," he said.

"Not anymore," Nathan said firmly. _Scott belongs to Haley._


	12. Chapter 11

The first thing Haley did when she left her tutoring session with Nathan was head to the café to see Lucas. The last thing she needed was for him to find out she was tutoring his brother from someone else. The bell jingled as she opened the door and Karen, who was standing at the coffee pot, turned at her entrance. She gave Haley a smile. "Hi, Haley."

"Hey," Haley said, walking up to the counter and sitting down. She placed her bag on the stool beside her. "Is Lucas here?"

"No, but he's on his way. He stopped in right after school, but he was so wrapped up in the book he was reading, he headed straight home to finish it. Everything OK?" Karen asked.

Haley sighed. "Yeah," she said thoughtfully. "I just need to talk to him. You know, fill him in on some things before any one else does," she explained.

Karen laughed softly and started wiping down the counter. "Teenagers. They _do _love to gossip," she said dryly.

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience," Haley observed.

"Oh, yes" Karen said. "I was dating the captain of the basketball team. A natural by product of that— is that you're fodder for everyone else."

Haley nodded slowly. "What was it like dating the captain of the basketball team?" she asked carefully.

"At the time? I thought it was wonderful."

"And now?"

Karen sighed. "I can't regret it, because…otherwise you wouldn't have your best friend," she said in a teasing tone. "But I wish I'd concentrated more on school and friends."

Haley nodded. "Like me?" she asked.

"You have a good head on your shoulders, Haley," she commented.

"Thanks," Haley said, not at all certain of that fact.

"Here comes my son now," Karen said her gaze moving to the front window.

Haley's eyes flew to the entrance and she quickly jumped down off her stool. "I'll be right back," she said, sprinting for the door. When she reached it, she threw it open and burst through it.

Lucas laughed. "Whoa, Hales. Where's the fire?"

Haley took a deep breath. "I have to tell you something," she said seriously.

His facial expression immediately turned to one of concern. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she assured her friend. "It's nothing like that."

"Good," Lucas said relieved.

"Yeah, you might want to take that back," she said.

He put his hands in his pockets and studied her face. "What's going on?" he asked.

She bit her lower lip. "I got a new student today," she said brightly.

"That's great, Hales. Anyone I know?"

Haley nodded uncertainly.

"Who?" Lucas asked harshly.

She took a deep breath. "It's Nathan," she admitted. She watched as Lucas' jaw started to tick.

"You're tutoring Nathan _Scott_?" he asked.

She pursed her lips and nodded. "Yeah. I'm tutoring your brother."

"Don't call him that!" Lucas snapped.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Look, I—I tried to get him reassigned, Lucas. But Principal Turner told me that if our history got in the way of my tutoring, then he _would_ reassign him. But I wouldn't be able to tutor anymore."

"What history?" Lucas asked.

"I—I didn't mean…that I had a history with Nathan," she lied. "I meant that I have a history…with you. You're my best friend and I didn't want to put our friendship at risk," she explained, doing her best to think on her feet.

Lucas shook his head. "Haley, you're not going to lose me as a friend. Especially because of my brother," he said emphatically.

Haley nodded uncertainly.

"Promise me one thing?"

"Anything," Haley said.

"Don't fall for him, Haley."

"I won't," she assured him.

"I'm serious, Haley," Lucas said insistently. "He's got a gift for getting what he wants from women and then just casting him aside. Be better than that."

"I will be," she told him as guilt filled her entire being.

777

Haley had been tutoring Nathan for a full week now, and one thing was painfully obvious to her. He needed help with every single class that was on his schedule. She wasn't sure if he hadn't been paying attention just so far this school year, or if he'd been getting by on his charm and athletic ability for a long time. But one thing was for certain—this wasn't going to be short term. Nathan had a _lot_ of work to do before he was fully caught up. "So," he said, pulling her from her thoughts. "Try outs start tonight. You nervous?"

Haley shook her head. "I never get nervous for try outs," she informed him. "Now study!"

"You don't get nervous for try outs?" he asked surprised.

She shook her head. "No, I don't. Listen—you have got to finish those problems so that we know where your weaknesses are."

Nathan scoffed. "In Algebra? Pretty much everywhere," he conceded.

"Nathan—you have a big test on Friday and if you don't get at least a C, there's no way we'll be able to bring your grade up to passing for the quarter," she informed him. "Which means no basketball," she said quietly.

He sighed in resignation and forced his attention back to the problems in front of him.

777

After school that afternoon, Haley walked into the gymnasium during the boys try outs and smiled at Lucas, who was at the free throw line. She gave him a subtle wave and he flashed her a quick grin. She made her way to the bleachers then walked up a few of them. After sitting down she opened her book bag and pulled out her trigonometry book and began to study. But it was hard for her to concentrate.

For one thing, she was dying to see Nathan on the court again. The guys had usually played later than the girls at High Flyers, and she'd always made her way to their gym to watch him play as they finished up. He'd been so graceful on the court, every move deliberate. She'd loved to watch him play.

She looked up and was glad to see Lucas holding his own. They were rotating at the free throw line, five shots each. If you missed one, it meant three laps around the gym, but if you made all five, you rotated to the right until it was your turn again. He was the first one to make all five of his shots and she silently cheered him on.

She looked down at the basket that was at the other end of the gym and saw Nathan take his spot at the free throw line. Not wanting to be obvious, she sighed and forced her eyes back on her homework. She was able to concentrate for a little while until she heard a whistle blow and saw the guys take the floor to scrimmage. Knowing it was no use she slammed her book shut and moved her attention to the floor again. She made a face as she realized that Nathan and Lucas were on the same team. _Well, this is going to be fun to watch_, she thought sarcastically. She didn't notice at first, but after a few minutes into the game, it became glaringly evident that everyone else on his team was trying to freeze Lucas out from getting the ball. The others would pass it to him if there was no other option, but Nathan would turnover the ball before he'd pass it to his brother. At first, Haley found it amusing and wondered if Nathan was feeling threatened by Lucas being on the court with him. But the amusement soon faded. Twenty minutes in, she sure her face was beet red, and as Lucas yelled to Nathan that he was open, Nathan stood there dribbling the ball and looking around. He was back to her, standing right inside the out of bounds line at the bottom of the bleachers.

Before she could even think about it, Haley rose to her feet and stomped down the bleachers. Nathan wasn't expecting it, so she took him by surprise when she came from behind and stole the ball. Immediately, she passed it to Lucas then put her hands on her hips and turned to glare at Nathan. "It's called finding the open man," she spat. "And if you _really _expect to make the team, you might want to perfect the concept!" She spun back around and practically flew up the bleachers. She hastily gathered her things and left the gym, leaving the boys standing there in shock.

Whitey was the first to speak up. "Well, she's got spunk," he said. "And she's right, Nathan. You've already made the team. Now play like you're part of it. This isn't a three ring circus where you're flying solo. Was High Flyers a waste of time?" Whitey asked angrily.

Nathan's gaze flew to the doors Haley had just exited. "No, it wasn't a waste of time," he said with conviction. He could have been angry and embarrassed at by what she'd done, but he wasn't. Even though he'd never admit it out loud, she'd been right. And the fact that she'd had the nerve to stand up to him in front of a bunch of guys she didn't know? Well, all that did was turn him on.

777

Lucas didn't even bother to shower after practice. He was in too much of a hurry to find Haley. He sprinted across the gym, his bag slung over his chest, and headed for the tutor center. It was deserted except for her, and she looked up as he walked in. She immediately looked contrite. "I am so sorry, Lucas!" she said quickly. "I didn't even think!"

He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. "If you're apologizing for giving Nathan Scott a dress down, take it back, Haley James."

She stood up and walked over to him. "You're not mad?" she asked with relief in her voice.

He shook his head. "No, I'm not mad," he assured her. "I'm pretty sure that all the guys in there thought I had the most amazing fake girlfriend in the world," he teased.

Haley laughed.

"And you know what?" he asked.

"What?"

"I have to admit, it was kind of hot seeing you like that."

"Lucas? Did you just say you think I'm hot?" she asked in a hopeless tone of voice.

"I did for just a fleeting second," he admitted. "But don't worry. The moment's gone."

She sighed. "Thank God!"


	13. Chapter 12

Haley was at her locker before school the next morning to prepare for her tutoring session when Brooke Davis walked up to her. "Hello," she said.

Haley looked around for one of Brooke's minions, and to her surprise, no one else was there. "Hi," she said warily.

"Listen, Holly Johnson—"

"It's Haley," she interrupted her. "James."

Brooke shook her head. "Whatever. I'm not sure what kind of game you're playing, but I know that something is going on with you and Nathan."

Haley's stomach dropped to her feet. "Yeah, I'm tutoring him," she said with a half laugh.

Brooke shook her head. "You're doing a lot more than _that_," she said, watching Haley for a reaction. She got one.

Haley swallowed nervously and then sighed. "What do you want, _Blake_?" she asked impatiently.

Brooke gave her a dirty look. "I saw the sweatshirt you put on after try-outs last night."

Haley sighed again as she pulled a book out of her locker. "And my wardrobe is your business because…"

"_Nathan's_ sweatshirt."

Haley ran a hand through her hair and then sighed. "How did you…"

"I bought it for him for his last birthday," she said, answering Haley's unfinished question.

"So, I'm meeting yet another of the infamous Nathan Scotts conquests? First Peyton, now you. I wonder who fills the other hundreds of slots on that list."

Brooke laughed as if Haley were an idiot. "I'm not on that sorry list. Peyton had a birthday party for him last year, and I was invited. I don't step on another girls toes by hitting on her guy."

"It's not what you think," Haley said quickly.

"You have no idea what I think," Brooke informed her primly. "But lucky for you, if you going after Nathan means that he and Peyton are through, I'm all for it. He treated her like crap." Brooke shrugged. "Now he can treat _you_ like crap."

Haley slammed her locker shut and turned to face Brooke. "Actually, Nathan _can't _treat me like crap. He can try, but it's not something I'd let him get away with. And as for the sweatshirt, Nathan let me wear it home the other day when it was cold, and that's all there is to it. I just haven't returned it yet," she said in a chilly tone. It was a straight lie, of course, but the girl standing in front of her didn't know that.

Brooke smiled knowingly. "Seems to me that tutor girl has a little bit of a crush."

"And it seems to me that prying girl doesn't know what the _hell_ she's talking about."

"I want a date with Lucas," Brooke said abruptly.

Haley stood there for a minute and then started laughing. "Oh, you're…are you…" Her face sobered. "You're serious?"

Brooke cocked her head at Haley. "And you're my in."

"I…I can't get you a date with Lucas. I'm not his _keeper_. He doesn't do whatever I tell him to do."

Brooke shrugged. "Fine. I only want to get him into bed anyway, and I'm sure I can do that on my own. But as far you and Nathan go, there's something going on. And I love a good mystery."

Haley pasted a fake smile on her face. "Good for you, Nancy Drew. And have a _great_ day," she said with fake enthusiasm, turning around and heading for the tutor center.

777

"So, maybe we could go out this weekend," Nathan said to Haley that afternoon when their session was finished.

Haley quickly shook her head and stood up, pulling the strap of her book bag up onto her shoulder. "Nathan, I'm your tutor. That's all I'm ever going to be."

"We both know that there's way more than tutoring going on with us," he told her.

Haley sighed. "Why did you give me a sweatshirt that Brooke Davis bought you?"

Nathan stood there for a moment in surprise. He took a deep breath. "I gave it to you because I thought it was the last time I was ever going to see you. And you gave me the only picture that we had of us together, so I wanted you to have something to remember me by." He shrugged. "I didn't want you to forget me," he said softly.

Haley took a deep breath. "Nathan, listen to me. High Flyers…was another lifetime ago."

"Not for me," he argued.

She sighed. "It was for me," she said softly. "Look, I'm not saying the memories aren't great, because they are. But those memories…are not of _you_. They're of a boy who doesn't even exist."

"I'm standing right in front of you," he told her.

She nodded. "Right. The boy who won't pass his brother a stupid basketball because he wants to prove that he's _better_ is standing in front of me. But the boy who told me that he would give anything to have had his brother around while he was growing up? Where is _he_, Nathan?"

Nathan sighed. "He's long gone, Haley."

"Oh, I know," she sadly. "Because I miss him more and more every day."

Nathan rubbed a hand over his face. "You know what, Haley? You keep playing hard to get long enough, and I might stop chasing you."

"I'm not playing hard to get!" she said in frustration. "I don't want to be gotten! And I don't know _how _many times I have to tell you that!"

"You could say it forever, Hales, and I still wouldn't believe you."

She stood there for a moment looking into his eyes, searching. "I'm putting our past where it belongs, Nathan. Behind me. You should do the same," she whispered, leaving him alone in the room.

777

"So tell me again what this Burning Boat Festival is all about," Haley said into her phone as she carefully applied her mascara.

"Well, you burn something that supposedly brings you bad luck, and it's supposed to get rid of it," he told her.

"The bad luck?" she asked.

"Yeah."

She sighed. "Can you burn more than one thing?"

Lucas laughed. "Got a lot of bad luck, James?"

"You don't know the half of it," she said sarcastically as the doorbell rang. "Is that you?"

"It's me," he told her.

"Come on in," she said, closing her phone.

"Where are your parents?" he asked a few seconds later as he walked into her room.

"It's date night," she told him. "Which means that they're going to an Italian restaurant and then to the movies. To sit in the very back row so they can make out," she told him rolling her eyes.

"Ever heard of TMI, Hales?"

She grinned. "I was conceived in the backseat of my dad's old Camaro," she told him.

He sat down on her bed. "I don't know why I keep you around," he teased.

She laughed. "It's because you love me," she reminded him.

He smiled at her as she sat down next to him to tie her shoes. "So, what are you going to burn?"

She took a deep breath. "Two things," she told him. She reached over him and grabbed a sweatshirt off her pillow. "This," she motioned with her head at the worn basketball by the door. "And that."

"You're burning a basketball?"

"It's from an old flame," she informed him.

"Hmmm…then it's fitting that you should burn it."

"Ha-ha," she said at his play on words. She nudged him with her shoulder. "And what are you burning?"

He pulled a t-shirt out of his jacket pocket. "This."

She took it from him and held it out in front of her. It was a maroon T-shirt with a Nike logo on it. "_This _brought you bad luck?" she said doubtfully.

"Yeah," he said with a deep breath.

"Uh-oh," she said, tossing the shirt at him and standing up. She grabbed his hand and gave it a tug, pulling him to his feet. He stuffed his t-shirt in the pocket of his hoodie with the other one. "What's the story?"

"That's the t-shirt I was wearing when I kissed Peyton."

"Oh," Haley said in a small voice.

"Yeah," Lucas said. "You don't kiss another guys girl. Even if she does belong to your jack ass of a brother."

Haley grinned at Lucas.

"What?" he asked.

"You just called Nathan your brother," she said.

"My mistake," Lucas said quickly, leading the way from the room.

777

"So, what do you think, best friend?" Lucas asked. "Are our names going to be on the list Monday?"

"Hell, yeah!" Haley said with conviction. She wrapped an arm through his. "And do you know how I know this?"

"How's that?" he asked.

"Two reasons. Number one, we burned our bad luck tonight," she told him.

"And number two?"

"We totally rocked try outs!" she said.

Lucas laughed. "_You _did anyway," he said. "I can't believe Nathan is even letting you tutor him after you scolded his ass on the basketball court."

Haley laughed. "Oh, please. I'm sure I earned heaps of respect with that move," she teased.

"How _is_ the tutoring going, anyway?" he asked.

She sighed. "It's too early to tell. But…he seems to really want to do well."

"Yeah, he probably just wants a locker on the AP wing with all the cool kids," Lucas teased.

"He's not stupid, Luke," she said heatedly. "He just has a hard time learning!"

Lucas pulled away, coming to a stop and gave her a surprised look. "I didn't say he was stupid, Hales." He studied her face for a minute. "Why are you so quick to jump to his defense, anyway?"

Haley sighed. "I just think…if you could just sit down with him. And talk to him. Even if it's only for a few minutes—"

Lucas picked up his pace again, forcing her to follow him. "Forget it."

"Lucas—"

"I said forget it, Haley," he said. "It's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. And I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't bring up Nathan again."

"Lucas—" she tried again.

He stopped and put his hands out by his sides. "What do you want me to say, Haley? The friggin' asshole has lived a charmed life for the past seventeen years while my mother has _scraped_ just so we could get by!"

She lifted a hand to his arm and his expression immediately softened. "I'm just saying that…maybe you're mad at the wrong person," she said quietly.

"Yeah? Well maybe I don't care!"

Haley nodded. "I'm sorry," she said gently. "I—I didn't know about your mom's circumstances. And—I shouldn't have said anything."

Lucas sighed. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I just…I don't like him, Haley. And for seventeen years, I haven't had to explain my reasons for that. I don't want to have to start now."

She nodded again. "Ok," she said quietly as they started for home again. She took a deep breath. "So, what do you think of Brooke Davis?"


	14. Chapter 13

"I can't go in there," Haley said nervously. For the first time since starting her senior year at Tree Hill, Haley felt overwhelmed. At first, she wasn't even sure she wanted to play basketball, but now she was desperate for the competition that she'd always loved. It was as if she hadn't eaten in days and would give anything for just one slice of extra cheese pizza. She could almost smell the scent of brand new sneakers and basketball leather. Haley didn't know what she was going to do if she hadn't made the team.

Lucas grinned at her at put an arm around her shoulder. "You can go in," he assured her.

"But what if I—"

"Don't finish that sentence, Hales," Lucas said. "We're thinking positive, remember?"

"Yes, but I'm positive that I didn't—"

Before she could finish, Lucas lifted his hand to cover her mouth. "OK, look, so far, you've been pretty much in control of this friendship, but today, I'm taking the reins," he informed her.

Her eyes widened and her "OK," came out in a muffle.

He laughed and removed his hand. "It's just basketball," he said. He was acting like he was trying to convince her, but she knew better. He was just as nervous as she was.

"What if we don't look?" she asked, as an idea set in.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked.

"What if I go to Coach Durham's office and check the list for _you_, and _you_ go to Coach Drake's office and check for _me,_" she said, grabbing his arm, her eyes lighting up.

"Doesn't that sort of make us cowards?" he asked tentatively.

"Oh, come on, Lucas. If you didn't make the team, which, I know you did, do you really want to find out in front of all of those stupid jocks or do you want to hear it from me?" she asked.

He nodded. "You do have a point," he said. "Although, don't you fall under the 'stupid jock' category?" he teased, nudging her with his shoulder as they finally made their way through the front doors of the school.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Need I remind you again of my grade point average?" she asked.

Lucas laughed and then came to a stop when they reached the end of the hallway. This is where they'd split up and find out whether the other one made the team or not.

Their eyes met and they each took a deep breath. "Good luck, Hales," Lucas said softly.

"Right back at ya," she said, slowly turning away from him and heading to Coach Durham's office. The closer she got, the more her pace picked up until she was practically power walking. The door with the list of the new basketball team was surrounded by lots of hopefuls, and Haley watched as some of them turned away, frowns on their faces. Her least favorite part of basketball was that everyone who tried out couldn't make it. When she got there, she elbowed her way to the front and putting a finger on the list, moved it downward in search of Lucas' name. When she reached the bottom of the list, she bit her lower lip and let out a sigh. She turned around and started heading for where they'd parted ways but had to come to a stop when Nathan blocked her path.

"Hey," he said a grin on his face.

"Hey," she said softly. "I'm sorry, I'm a little late for tutoring, but I'll be there in just a few minutes," she assured him.

"I haven't even been to the tutor center yet," he told her.

"Oh," she said.

"I was looking for you, but when I couldn't find you, I figured I'd find out who made the team."

"And? Did you?"

"Of course I did," he said arrogantly. "But I wasn't talking about my team. I was talking about yours. Congratulations," he said sincerely.

"I made it?" she said.

Nathan gave her a puzzled look. "Didn't you know?"

"No!" she said excitedly. "Lucas was checking for me! I really made it?"

"Was there ever any doubt?" he asked in surprise.

"There's always some doubt when you move to a new school," she told him. "Some teams are already established and it's hard to make a team like that no matter how good you are." Haley's face broke into a grin and shook her head. "I'm so glad that—" She stopped midsentence as if she just realized who she was talking to. "I should go," she said quickly.

"But…Hales. You made the team," Nathan said excitedly. "What are we going to do to celebrate?" he asked.

"I'm going to go find my best friend," she said quickly. "I don't know _what_ you're going to do." She walked past him at a near run until she was around the corner, then slowed her pace and let out a deep breath. _I made the team_, she thought with a grin on her face.

777

Lucas was walking down the hall fighting a grin. Haley had made the basketball team. She was going to be so excited. He couldn't wait to tell her, and really, this was for the best. Now he got to see her reaction to finding out. As he rounded the corner, he nearly plowed into her.

"Hey! Watch where you're going," she teased.

"So? What did you find out?" he asked.

She cleared her throat. "You first," she said, feeling like a louse for lying.

He couldn't help but grin at her. "The transfer student is in," he said.

"Really?" she asked, but he noticed she wasn't as excited as he'd thought she was going to be.

He nodded. "Really," he confirmed. "Now, me," he said nervously. He watched as she lowered her head, then lifted it again to meet his eyes. She was chewing on her lower lip. _This can't be good_, he thought. _I didn't make it._

She placed a comforting hand on his sleeve. "I'm sorry, Lucas," she said softly.

He shrugged nonchalantly, but was surprised at how much it hurt that he hadn't made it. "It's OK," he said dismissively. "I wasn't even sure—"

"I'm sorry because…" her eyes suddenly lit up. "Now that we're both playing basketball, we won't have as much time to spend together," she finished.

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

"You heard me," she said.

"Oh, Haley James, that was a _rotten _thing to do," he said. He grabbed her by the waist and swung her around as she let out a squeal.

"Congratulations, Lucas," she said just as Nathan came around the corner. He stopped midstride when he saw Haley in his brothers' arms.

She cleared her throat nervously and squeezed Lucas' shoulder. "Can you put me down, please?" she said in a near whisper. Without a word, Lucas let go. And just like that, her feet returned to the floor.

"I'll see you in the tutor center," Nathan said as he walked away, his pace hurried.

"I guess I better go," Haley said quickly, her happiness at having made the team diffused by the disappointment on Nathan's face. "But, hey. Ice cream sodas at the café after school to celebrate?" she asked.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly. But Haley didn't seem to notice as she left. Was it him, or was there some weird vibe between his brother and his best friend?

777

Haley walked into the tutor center and placed her bag on the table across from where Nathan was sitting. The room was deserted except for the two of them. "Sorry I'm late," she said breathlessly, sitting down at the table and pulling her math book out of her bag.

"Would it have made a difference if you'd seen me first?" Nathan asked softly.

"Nathan, don't do this," Haley begged. If he had asked in an abrupt tone, she could have taken it, but he was asking with such honesty that it almost broke her heart.

He sighed. "I just can't help but think…" he trailed off and studied her face. Her eyes refused to meet his. "Would it have?" he pushed.

"I don't know," she said, and he swore her heard a hint of misery in her voice.

"Are you in love with him?" Nathan asked quietly, sitting back in his chair.

Her eyes finally met his as her head snapped up. "What?" she asked in surprise.

"Well, from where I was standing, you two looked pretty cozy," he said.

"Are you _jealous?_" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess I am," he admitted.

Haley took a deep breath. "Nathan, I'm not in love with Lucas. You saw…two friends celebrating because they made the basketball team. That's all it was. Not that it's any of your business," she added. And then, after a short pause she said, "Let's get cracking. You have a test on Wednesday and we need to get you up to at least a C."

"I'm not going to be able to concentrate if you don't answer my question," he told her.

Haley sighed. "Fine. The truth is…I don't know if it would have made a difference, Nathan. All I know is that I was meant to meet Lucas, to have him in my life. But this summer, at High Flyers, I would have sworn the same thing about _you_. But you're so different here," she said yet again. Even though she'd tried and tried, she was still having a hard time reconciling Nathan and Scott as one. She ran a hand through her hair. "I think—I think I really could have loved Scott," she admitted aloud for the first time. "But I can't love a boy who won't move past his father's mistakes and acknowledge his brother. I won't be with someone who is too…afraid to stand up for what is right. And you know that Lucas is a good guy, Nathan. I know you do," she said fiercely, as if trying to pound it into his head. "But you're too busy adopting your father's pomp to try and set him straight. Is that really who you want to be?"

There was another pause as she waited for Nathan's answer, but it never came.

"Are you ready to study?" she asked.

He flipped open his book in answer.

Haley's eyes flew to the door when she thought she saw a flash of blonde curls, but there was no one there. _Great_, she thought to herself. _Now I'm seeing things._

"There's a trick with polynomials," she said as she started tutoring Nathan. And for the next 45 minutes, Haley worked hard to concentrate on what was right in front of her.


	15. Chapter 14

"So, why did you ask me what I thought of Brooke Davis the other day?" Lucas asked, glancing at Haley.

"Well, she asked me about you," Haley admitted.

"She asked you about _me_?" he asked in surprise.

Haley nodded. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well, yeah," Lucas said. "I'm not really her type."

Haley gave Lucas a mocking glare. "Tall, blonde, and handsome isn't Brooke Davis' type?" she asked dryly.

Lucas grinned at her. "You think I'm handsome?"

"As sin," she told him, continuing her pace. She didn't notice that he wasn't beside her anymore. "So, anyway—" she turned to face him and he wasn't there, so she turned around only to find him a few yards behind her. "Lucas, what are you doing?" she asked.

"You think I'm handsome as sin," he said from where he was with a teasing grin on his face.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Note to self. Never compliment Lucas again," she said.

"You _want_ a piece of me, don't you?" he teased.

"Oh, sweet Lord," she said, rolling her eyes. "Are you kidding?"

"It must kill you to be around me all the time and have to keep your hands to yourself."

"Lucas—I think I just threw up a little in my mouth," she told him, gagging for show. "Now get up here! I have my first practice in less than half an hour, and I need my friend to talk me through it."

"Oh, like you can't get through it yourself," he told her.

"Fine. I totally could. But I don't _want_ to," she said in a whiney voice. She hated to use it, but Lucas usually gave in to her when he did.

He jogged until he caught up to her then put an arm around her waist. "Let's get going, best friend," he said as they picked up their pace. "So, after I'm done with my lab partner, do you want me to wait around for you to finish practice?"

"No, that's OK," she said. "I'll call you when I get home to let you know how everything goes."

"All-right," he said as they walked into the school entrance closest to the gym. "Knock 'em dead, Hales," he commanded.

"Right," she said doubtfully.

He leaned in so he was looking closely at her lips. "Lucas, what are you doing?" she asked uncomfortably.

"You have some ice cream on your chin," he told her, lifting his thumb to wipe it away.

"Oh, thanks," she said.

"Good luck at practice," she heard a voice behind Lucas growl. She jumped at the sound of it.

"Thanks," she said nervously, her eyes darting back and forth between the brothers. This was the first time she'd seen them this close to each other with the exception of try outs.

"What are you doing here?" Lucas asked huffily.

Nathan shrugged nonchalantly. "I was just wishing my tutor good luck," he said. It was obvious to Lucas and Haley that Nathan was taunting him.

Lucas scoffed. "With her skill, do you really think she needs luck?" he asked.

"With her skill, I'm surprised they even made her try out," Nathan said softly, his eyes meeting hers in a silent challenge.

Haley knew he was daring her to tell Lucas about High Flyers, but she wasn't about to rise to the bait. "Thanks for the luck, but I'm all set," she said, clearly dismissing him.

Nathan knew when to take a hint, and with one last contemptuous look at Lucas, he turned and started walking away.

"And _that_ is exactly why I don't give the prick a chance, Haley," Lucas practically spat.

"I get it, Lucas," she told him. "Good luck with your lab partner."

"Thanks. I'll talk to you later," she told him.

777

"Hey!" Haley said to the blonde who fouled her for the third time. "You did that on purpose!"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," she goaded.

"What in the hell is your problem?" Haley asked.

The shrill sound of the whistle caused both of their heads to turn towards their coach. "Hey! Girls! This isn't pay per view mud wrestling on Saturday night!" she yelled. "Do you think we could interrupt your personal little sparring with some basketball practice?" she asked sarcastically.

"Sorry, coach," Haley said, taking her spot on the court.

As the whistle sounded again, Haley tried to get away from the girl guarding her, but she wouldn't let Haley's shirt go. Haley twisted and pulled any which way she could until she finally freed herself. She made it around the girl and clapped her hands twice, getting the attention of the other player handling the ball. She made the catch easily when the ball was passed to her, but dropped it when the girl guarding her gave her wrist a smack. Instead of going after the ball, Haley spun around. "What the hell is your problem?" she roared again.

"Maybe you're my problem!"

"Well, it sure seems that way, doesn't it?"

The whistle sounded again, but this time, neither girl paid any attention to it.

Haley sprung forward and gave a shove at the girls' shoulders, causing her to fall down backwards and land on her bottom. Haley gave a self satisfied smirk until she felt a hand around her ankle give a strong tug. She fell forward and would have landed on her face if she hadn't thrown her hands out in front of her to break her fall. "Son of a—"

"Unless you want to spend the next month in detention, James, I wouldn't finish that sentence!" Coach Drake yelled.

Haley sighed in frustration and made her way back to her feet.

"What the hell is going on with the two of you?" the coach asked.

Neither girl said anything.

"Sawyer?" the coach prompted.

She was answered with a half hearted shrug.

"Bleachers! Both of you. Now!"

"You don't want us to run?" Haley asked.

"Now you wanna tell me how to run my team, James?" the coach asked.

"No," Haley said quickly.

"Good, then follow Sawyer to the bleachers and sit your ass down! Everyone else, show's over. Get back to scrimmaging."

"What the hell was that all about?" Haley hissed when she sat down next to Peyton, making sure there was some space between them.

"How was High Flyers this summer, Haley?" Peyton asked coldly.

Haley's breath caught in her throat. "I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.

"I heard you and Nathan in the tutor center this morning. When I came to congratulate you for making the team. Joke's on me, huh?" she said sarcastically.

She was trying to pretend she was indifferent, but Haley saw the pain in her eyes.

"Peyton—"

"You said that I didn't know who your summer _tryst _was, Haley," Peyton reminded her.

"Trust me, Peyton," Haley said quietly. "The guy you were dating and the guy I met this summer are not the same person."

"You insinuated that you were a virgin," Peyton reminded her.

"And I am," Haley said firmly.

"Really?" Peyton said doubtfully. "Because summer flings usually involve sex, Haley."

Haley took a deep breath. "Look, Peyton, I'm really sorry—" Haley started.

Peyton laughed hollowly. "Oh, Haley James. You haven't even yet _begun_ to be sorry," she promised.

"Are you going to tell Lucas?" Haley asked quietly.

"Lucas doesn't _know_?" Peyton asked incredulously.

Haley bit her lower lip and shook her head.

"Why not?" Peyton asked.

"I didn't know that Nathan was his brother until after the school year started. And then I didn't want to disappoint him by telling him that I'd…" she trailed off.

"That you'd _what_?" Peyton prompted.

"That I'd spent part of the summer getting to know his brother," she said evasively.

Peyton gazed at Haley unflinchingly. "I'm not sure _what_ I'm going to do, Haley," she said.

777

Haley chewed her lower lip nervously and looked from side to side as she rang the doorbell three times with no pauses in between. Less than a thirty secons later, the door flung open and Nathan just stood there for a minute staring at her. "Peyton knows," she said softly.

"Knows _what_?" Nathan asked.

"About _us,_" Haley told him.

"What?" Nathan asked. "How does she know?"

Haley sighed. "She was outside of the tutor center this morning when we were talking." She put a hand to her forehead and rubbed back and forth. "Nathan, what are we going to do?"

"_I'm_ not going to do anything," he said flatly.

"Nathan, please. If Lucas finds out about what happened this summer, he'll—"

"He'll what?" Nathan asked with a shrug. "Take away his precious friendship?" he asked.

Haley nodded slowly.

If it weren't for the look of desperation in her eyes, he would have slammed the door right then. But dammitt, he couldn't stand to see that look on her face. "Kiss me," he said.

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"Kiss me," he said again.

"I'm not going to kiss you," she said stubbornly.

He shrugged again. "Then you're on your own," he told her.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked. "You won't help me unless I kiss you?"

Nathan nodded.

"You're blackmailing me," she said in disbelief.

"Reasoning with you doesn't work," he pointed out with a smirk fixed firmly on his face.

"I can't _kiss_ you," she said.

"You have plenty of times before," he reminded her.

"Yeah, but that was before I _knew_ you," she said then realized how trampy it sounded.

"Fine," Nathan said, then started to slowly close the door.

Haley took a deep breath then threw her hand out to hold the door open. "Wait!" she said, putting her hands to her temples and rubbing them. "Fine," she conceded. "I'll kiss you. But I _won't_ like it."

"Yes, you will," he disagreed.

"Let's just get this over with," she said.

Nathan shook his head, his eyes fixed on hers. "Kisses aren't meant to be quick," he said quietly, almost dangerously, Haley thought.

She quickly leaned up on her tip toes and placed a chaste kiss on his mouth. "There," she said, backing away. "I kissed you."

"_That_ wasn't a kiss," he told her, capturing her wrist with his hand.

"Well, it's all you're getting from me," she said firmly.

As he gave her wrist a tug, she came crashing against him. She lifted her hands between them so they rested on his chest. He felt solid beneath his t-shirt and in spite of his outward appearance, she could feel his chest rising and falling in quick succession. She suddenly realized that he was just as nervous as she was.

She timidly lifted her eyes to his, and they never left hers until their lips touched and he closed them. She felt electricity immediately and had to force herself not to jump from the impact. He ran his tongue along the seam of her lips a few times, and when she didn't open, he pulled away. "Open your mouth for me, Haley," he ordered, his mouth coming back down on hers.

She wanted to rebel, but as his lips coaxed hers, she couldn't help but obey. When his tongue swept inside her mouth, she let out a soft sigh then leaned into him. He lifted a hand to her chin and held her face there firmly as if he were afraid she was going to pull away. As if she could. She lowered her hands to his waist and gathered the hem of his t-shirt in her hands, squeezing it tightly.

It was all too soon when he pulled away, and Haley nearly groaned in disappointment. She hadn't even opened her eyes yet when she heard him speak.

"_That _was a kiss," he said softly. Then, "I'll take care of Peyton."

When she opened her eyes, Nathan was already closing the door. But the expression on his face caught her by surprise. Instead of the self-satisfied smirk she'd expected, there was a look of yearning in his eyes.


	16. Chapter 15

Even with all the lights on, Tric still had a dark atmosphere. Nathan had always thought the place reflected Peyton perfectly. He walked into the large room and approached the bar where Peyton was standing. When he made it all the way to the counter, she finally looked up. And rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing here, Nathan?" she asked as if she were bothered by his presence.

"Are you going to tell Lucas?" he asked with no preamble.

Peyton looked up and studied his face. "You're fighting her battles now?" she asked. "You know, you really should be wearing shining armor. Or at the very least, white."

"Come on, Peyton," Nathan said. "Are you gonna tell Lucas?" he asked in an edgy voice.

"No," she said with conviction.

Nathan flinched at her answer. "Why not?" he asked. It was exactly what he'd wanted to hear, he just didn't expect that he was going to hear it this soon.

"Because he's my friend, Nathan. And it's going to break is heart when he finds out that his new best friend has been frolicking with his brother," she said sharply.

"We're not frolicking, Peyton. We haven't been _frolicking _for months," he told her.

Peyton slammed the glass she was wiping down on the counter. "Why did you even take me back, Nathan? If you knew you wanted someone else, then why even bother with me?"

Nathan shrugged. "Because you were convenient," he admitted.

He saw the pain in her eyes and he felt like a jerk, but he didn't want to lie to her. "Look, when Haley and I parted ways at High Flyers, we didn't even know where the other one was from. And trust me—I definitely didn't know that she was moving to Tree Hill."

He watched a struggle play across Peyton's face before she finally placed her palms on the counter that separated them. "What does she have that I don't?" she asked, hating herself for even asking the question.

"It's nothing that she _has_, Peyton," he said softly. "It's who she is."

Peyton shrugged. "Who is she?"

Nathan sighed. "I'm not gonna stand here and explain myself to you, Peyton. You cheated on me with my brother," he reminded her.

"It was just a kiss, Nathan. It didn't mean anything. I'm not even sure why it happened, and I told you that!" she said.

"Yeah, well it's too little too late," he said. "I don't even know why we're still fighting about this anyway. It's over and done with. _We're_ over and done with."

"So…what? Haley tells Lucas about you guys and then you live happily ever after?" Peyton asked dryly.

"She doesn't want me," he admitted.

"But you're in hot pursuit of_ her_, aren't you?"

"What do you want me to say, Peyton?" he asked. "Anything I tell you is going to be twisted to fit whatever the hell kind of mood you're in."

Peyton stood there for a minute, just looking at him. "Leave her alone, Nate."

"Are you warning me away from her?" he asked in disbelief.

"She's a good girl."

"Afraid I'll ruin her?" he asked.

"Look what you did to me," she said, turning and walking away.

777

"You never called me last night," Lucas said, plopping down onto Haley's bed beside her.

"Lucas?" she asked groggily.

"Haley, it's one o'clock in the afternoon," he said. "What are you doing still in bed?"

"I—I got carried away last night while I was studying," she lied, pulling a pillow over her head. The truth was, after leaving Nathans, she was too wound up to sleep. She could feel her lips tingling for hours after she'd gotten home last night. But she certainly wasn't going to tell Lucas that.

"What were you studying?" he asked.

She thought for a minute. "Anatomy and Physiology," she finally said in a muffled voice.

"I'm going to the River Court," he told her. "Fergie, Junk and Skills are gonna be there. You wanna come?"

She groaned. "Lucas, does it look like I want to leave this bed?" she asked harshly.

She heard him chuckle. "Do you know how long I've waited to hear a woman say that to me?" he teased.

He heard her sigh and then she sat up. "I'm sorry I didn't call you last night," she told him, rubbing her eyes.

"It's OK," he said. "I was on the phone with Brooke most of the night, anyway."

"Brooke Davis?" Haley asked in surprise.

He nodded.

"Hmm," Haley said thoughtfully.

"What?" Lucas asked.

Haley shrugged. "I just figured Brooke to be more of a…_doer_ than a talker."

"Oh, she's a doer," he said huskily. "She is definitely a doer," he said again, as if to himself.

"Get out of my room, Lucas Scott," she told him.

He grinned and stood up. "Call me when you're fully awake. I want to discuss this Brooke thing with you."

"Why? Women problems already?" she teased.

"No. I just want your opinion on some things. And…I'm not really sure what's going to happen with Brooke and me, but it's going to cut into our friend time. I just…are you OK with this?" he asked sincerely.

The universe hated her. He was _really _asking her about dating someone? This was practically unprecedented in a male/female friendship. Here he was, genuinely concerned about her feelings regarding him dating, and she was lying to him every second of every day. She gave him a soft smile. "I'm OK with this," she assured him. "I'm your _friend_, Lucas. I don't have any _claim_ to you. I'll be fine with whatever you decide," she promised. "As long as whatever you decide makes you happy."

"Thanks, Hales," he said.

She nodded as he left the room then threw her head back down on the bed with a groan. Less than five minutes later, there was another knock on the door. "Come in," she called, her head underneath her pillow again.

She heard her bedroom door open and then the mattress moved as someone lay down next to her. "Luke—I swear to God, if this is about Brooke Davis again…" she trailed off.

"So, this is the infamous Mr. Waffles," a deep voice said.

Haley flung her pillow to the floor then shot straight upward. And hastily grabbed Mr. Waffles from Nathans' hands.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed furiously.

He gave her that smirk of his. "You visited _my_ house last night," he reminded her.

"Yeah, because I was desperate," she said anxiously. "Are _you _desperate?"

"You have no idea," he said hoarsely.

"How did you get past my mother?" she asked.

"Who do you think gave me directions to your bedroom?" he asked.

She jumped out of her bed to stand next to it, hands on her hips. The word _sexy _immediately sprung to Nathan's mind, and he couldn't help but grin. Her t-shirt and pajama bottoms were rumpled from sleep and her hair was a mess. The only problem from where Nathan was sitting was that sleep had mussed up her hair—not him. "You have to get out of here!" she said.

"What's the rush?" he asked, looking around.

"Lucas could see you here."

His eyes flew to hers. "Has he been in here?" he asked.

She lifted her chin defiantly. "More times than I can count," she said, immediately regretting the comment. Especially after the look in his eyes last night after he'd kissed her.

"And has his tongue ever been in your mouth?" he asked roughly.

So much for regret. She shrugged. "A kiss is just a kiss," she said off-handedly.

"And last night it was _just_ a kiss," he concluded for her.

She nodded.

"And _that's_ why I had to hold you up?" he asked. "Because we were _just_ kissing?"

"I…had just gotten out of practice," she said nervously, grappling for excuses. "I was…tired. I'm out of shape."

He shrugged. "If a kiss is just a kiss, then let's do it again."

"No!" she said quickly.

He crawled towards the edge of the mattress, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Come on, Haley. It's _just_ a kiss."

She made a move to back away, but his hand shot out to grab her waist and she couldn't move. Truth be told, she really wasn't trying all that hard. The recollection of their kiss from the night before was permanently seared into her memory. _And there's no way it could be that good again. Right?_ she thought, her breathing already ragged in anticipation.

Nathan sat down on the side of the mattress, giving her a height advantage. When he pulled her closer to him, she had to look down into his face. "I'm not gonna make the first move this time, Haley," he whispered gruffly, looking up at her.

"I don't think this is a good idea," she whispered.

He nodded, his eyes locked on hers.

"I just had to make that clear," she said softly, lowering her lips to his. She felt the same force of electricity she felt last night when his lips had touched hers, and she groaned—part dismay, part desire. Nathan didn't waste any time. His tongue found hers, and his hands moved beneath her t-shirt to touch the soft skin at her waist. When she lifted her hands to his shoulders, he lifted her up, and she placed her knees at his waist, falling backwards with him onto the bed. She deepened the kiss, unable to stop herself. Haley felt like she'd unleashed a desire inside of her that she hadn't even known existed. She straightened herself out so she was laying on top of him, sinking into him. He moved his hands up her bare back beneath her shirt and discovered that she wasn't wearing a bra. He growled at the thought, pulling her so close to him that he could feel her breasts against his chest.

"Haley?" they heard from the bottom of the stairs.

She quickly pulled away from Nathan and was surprised to see that her bedroom door was open. "Yeah, Mom?"

"I'm going to the grocery store. Do you need anything?"

She cocked an eyebrow at Nathan. "Tampons. And lots of them," she yelled back, and then placed a hand over his mouth to stop his laughter.

"All-right. I'll be back in a little bit."

"Thanks, Mom."

She lifted her eyes to the ceiling and then took a deep breath. She leaned down and lowered her forehead so that it was resting against Nathan's. He lifted his arms to her waist, pulling her in for a hug. "Oh, Nathan. What are we going to do?" she whispered raggedly.


	17. Chapter 16

_This chapter is a bit longer than I wanted it to be, but I really couldn't find a good stopping point. There was a lot to tell in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it! And thanks again to those who took the time to read and review last chapter!_

"Hello?" Lucas said, grabbing the cordless phone next to his bed.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the elusive Mr. Lucas Scott," a husky voice said on the other end of the phone.

"Who is this?" he asked, sitting up. He squinted to see the clock. 7:12 a.m. He stifled a groan.

"I'll give you one guess," she said breathily.

"Brooke Davis," he said with certainty.

"Good guess," she returned appreciatively.

"What can I do for you Brooke Davis?" he asked.

"You can start getting ready for our date tonight," she told him.

"We're going out tonight?"

"Yes, we are. And you're paying. So charge your wallet up and get handsome, Lucas Scott."

"Where…are we going?" he asked, holding his phone to his cheek with his shoulder. He leaned back down on his bed, putting his hands behind his head and crossing his legs one over the other. _Brooke Davis?_ he thought with a grin. This girl moved quickly. She hadn't even given him a chance to ask her out yet.

"I'll let you know when I pick you up," she told him.

"Oh, no, no, no. I want to know now," he told her.

"Why?" she asked.

"I like to be informed."

"Well, then…know _this_. Play your cards right, and you'll be getting lucky tonight," she said. _Click._

Lucas pulled his phone away from his ear and then frowned at it. Did she really just say what he thought she just said?

777

"Have a great day," Haley called to the elderly couple as they left the café. She was in a chipper mood and had been since Nathan had left her house last night. At midnight. She smiled as she thought of what they'd been doing. They'd been alternating studying with making out. It was the most fun she'd ever had doing homework. She finished clearing the table off, then brought the dirty dishes out back and dropped them into the sink. She returned to the front, dish rag in her hand ready to wash off the front counter and the tables. It was a slow morning and the place didn't have a soul in it, except for her and Karen. Haley sighed. _And Peyton_, she thought as she heard the bell over the front door ring. She sighed and started attacking the counter with her dish rag, not looking up. Maybe if she ignored her, she'd go away. No such luck.

"Hey," Peyton said quietly.

Haley looked up. "What can I get for you?"

"A coffee, please."

"To go?" Haley asked hopefully.

Peyton nodded. "I'm not going to tell Lucas," she said as Haley made her way over to the coffee pot.

Haley finished pouring her coffee then put the cover on the disposable cup. She returned to the counter and placed it before Peyton.

"That's what Nathan said. But why? What do you want from me in return, Peyton?" she asked guardedly.

Peyton shook her head. "I don't want anything. Especially to see Lucas hurt," she said quietly. "Do you really think you're going to be able to keep this from him, Haley?"

Haley sighed warily. "It's not like I planned this, Peyton," she said heatedly. "Do you really think I expected to meet Nathan last summer and then move to…surprise! The very same town he lives in and make friends with…surprise!" she threw her hands in the air. "His brother? Who…let's face it. Can't stand him. And really, that's putting it mildly."

Peyton studied Haley for a minute. "Wow," she said.

"Wow, what?" Haley asked in frustration.

"This lying is really taking a toll on you, isn't it?" she asked.

"It's something new for me. And it's…the worst thing I've ever had to do," she said looking down at the counter. She lifted her eyes to Peyton, willing her to understand her predicament. "I feel like I've been lying to _every_ one. And I'm pretty sure that pretty soon, the other shoe is going to drop. I can't do this much longer."

"I can't believe he did that to you," Peyton said softly.

"What?" Haley asked, confused.

"Nathan. He brought me in here and _paraded_ me in front of you," she said disgustedly.

"Yeah," Haley said simply.

Peyton picked her coffee cup up and took a sip. "Anyway, you're secret is safe with me, Haley. I'm not going to tell Lucas." There was a pause. "But I think you should. And the sooner the better."

Haley nodded. "Thanks, Peyton."

Peyton sighed. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for him. He's my friend. And you're his _best_ friend. This is gonna hurt him. But…he'll get over it eventually, Haley," she reassured her. "And the sooner you tell him, the sooner he _can_."

Haley looked at Peyton for a minute. "Whyare you being so nice to me?" she asked.

"Because," Peyton hesitated. "Despite everything else, I _do_ like you, Haley." There was a pause. "And I can't imagine what it's like to have to move to a new town just before your senior year. And then to make only _one_ friend that summer, to find out that he's…God this sounds tacky, but…the _nemesis_ of the guy you fell for only a few weeks earlier." She shrugged. "I probably would have been too scared to tell him, too."

Peyton turned to leave.

"So, will I be safe Monday at practice?" Haley called after her in a joking tone.

Peyton turned around and flashed her a grin, then made her way out the front door.

777

"So, what's on the agenda for tonight?" Haley said into her cell phone as she left the café at two o'clock that afternoon. They'd just wrapped up the lunch rush and her relief had come in to take the next shift.

"Actually—I have plans for tonight," Lucas said evasively.

"Oh," Haley said in a surprised tone. Then she gasped. "With Brooke Davis?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes, with Brooke Davis," he said.

"Wow," Haley said appreciatively. "You move fast."

Lucas cleared his throat. "Actually, _she_ called me this morning and asked _me_ out," he admitted.

Haley laughed.

"And she didn't so much as ask me as _tell_ me."

"Well, it sounds like this is going to be an interesting evening for you," she told him.

"Sounds like," he agreed.

"Well, you gonna call me tomorrow with the details or what?" she asked.

Lucas chuckled. "Guys don't kiss and tell."

"Hmmm…" Haley said softly. "Or maybe there just won't be anything to tell," she teased.

"Whoa. Easy there, buddy."

Haley laughed. "Have a good date, Luke," she told him.

"Thanks."

777

"We're closed," Peyton called without looking up from her spot at the bar. She was taking a look at the books to see what they were taking in versus their expenses. They'd actually done very well their opening weekend, but it had been a little downhill from there. She was trying not to get discouraged. Even Karen had assured her that that was normal for a business just trying to take off to get a rocky start.

"I'm looking for a job," the voice said.

"We're not hiring," she said simply. Still, she didn't look up.

"Well, are you working on your manners?"

Now _that _got her attention.

"Let me get this straight. You want a job here?" she asked.

He nodded.

"But you walk in and talk to me in an abrupt tone and get snippety with me?" she said pointedly.

"Well, I _would _have made eye contact with you but you couldn't be bothered to lift your head," he said defensively.

"I'm busy," she stated, looking down at the books again.

He came closer and sat down on the barstool across from where she was standing. "Yeah, I got that," he said. "I knew you were a person of few words, but I didn't know it was this extreme," he said in a teasing tone.

She looked up again and gave a deep sigh. Clearly this guy wasn't going to go away. "And how do you know I'm a person of few words?" she asked.

"I'm in your sociology class," he told her. "I sit two seats to the right of you."

"I don't recognize you," she said with a frown.

He grinned. "That's because you always have your face buried in that sketch book of yours," he told her.

"_Who _are you?" she asked.

"I'm Jake. Jake Jagielski," he told her.

She nodded. "Well, thanks for stopping by and inquiring about a job, Jake Jagielski, but we're not hiring. We have all the help we need," she assured him.

He flashed her a grin and Peyton was struck by how attractive this guy was. Not in a manly way like Nathan was, but in a little bit of a geeky way. His smile was endearing, and his curly hair was a little unruly, adding an air of carelessness to him. His ears were just a little too big, but for some reason, even _that _was adorable on him. Suddenly Peyton wished she _did _have an opening. Spending a little time with this guy might be just what she needed.

He grabbed a napkin with Tric's logo on it and wrote something down. He looked up and gave her another of his goofy grins. "Here's my number," he told her, sliding it towards her. "Call me if anything opens up. Or you know…if you're looking for something else," he finished, studying her for a reaction. If he hadn't been watching her for it, he wouldn't have seen her chest stop moving when her breath caught in her throat.

She stood there for a moment unblinking then gave her head a shake to clear it. "I'll just…umm, keep this on file," she told him.

"Great," he said, standing up. "Have a good one, Peyton Sawyer," he said as he left. For some reason, when he said her name, she thought it sounded incredibly sexy. She didn't take her eyes off him until he had left the building.

Trying to force her thoughts from Jake Jagielski, Peyton got back to work, cleaning and tidying up before tonight kicked into full gear. She looked at the clock, and before she knew it, it was five o'clock. She called to order something for a very late lunch and was walking towards the back room when the phone started to ring. She made her way around the bar and pulled it from its cradle. "Club Tric," she said into the receiver.

"Hey, Peyton. It's Lucas," the voice on the other end of the phone said.

"Hey, Luke. What's up?" she asked.

"I'm not going to be able to make it in tonight," he told her.

"Oh, no, no, no, Luke! You can't do this to me!" she said.

"Peyton, I don't work there. I just helped out opening weekend as a favor to you and my mom."

"Luke, it's _Saturday_ night!" she reminded him.

"I know," he said. "And I may just have found a life."

She sighed. "Is there _any_ way I can talk you into coming in tonight?"

"Nope."

"Well, have fun, Lucas. Whatever you're doing," she said, hanging up. She was getting ready to turn around when Jake's napkin caught her eye. Taking a deep breath, she picked it up and looked at it for a minute. Sighing, she grabbed the phone and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Hi. This is Peyton," she said.

"Oh," he said in a knowing voice. "Are you calling for _something else_?" he teased.

Peyton sighed in frustration. "No, I'm calling to offer you a job. It starts off as a one night deal. If I like you, you come back. If I don't, you're outta luck."

"Wow. A man really has to hold his own with you, doesn't he, Peyton Sawyer?"

"Do we have a deal or what?" she asked.

"We have a deal," he confirmed.

"I'll see you in an hour," she said.

"An hour?" he asked.

"Is that a problem?" she asked in the same tone she'd called him on earlier.

"No, that's not a problem at all. I'll see you then," he said before he hung up.

777

"Hello?"

"Hey," Haley said in a cheerful voice. "What's going on?"

"Nothing that I can't interrupt to talk to _you,_" Nathan said. "What's going on with you?"

She grinned on her end of the phone. "I was wondering what you were doing tonight?" she asked.

"I don't really have anything on the agenda," he lied. He was supposed to go to a party at Tim's, but if Haley wanted to hang out, he was more than happy to ditch his teammates.

"I was thinking maybe we could…see each other," she said cautiously.

"Were you now?" he asked.

"I was," she confirmed.

"Do you want to come over here?" he asked. "My mom and dad are gone for the night. They have some small business league meeting or something that they had to go to."

"Sounds great," she said, hanging up.

777

"Lucas, _what_ is that honking in the driveway?" Karen asked as she peeked her head into his bedroom. "Oh, my," she said, putting a hand to her throat.

"What?" Lucas asked worriedly.

"You look so handsome!" she exclaimed as a knowing grin took over her face. "I take it that's a girl in the driveway. And _not_ Haley."

Lucas walked over to the door and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. "Don't wait up, Mom," he teased.

"Lucas Scott! You be home by midnight!" she warned him, chasing him to the door.

He threw her a grin over his shoulder on his way out.

"And don't you forget to pull out her chair and open the door for her!"

777

"So, this is the inside of the Scott dwelling?" Haley teased, looking around. Nathan's house was gorgeous, filled with the most expensive furniture she'd ever seen. She wondered if they even _sat_ on the couch.

"This is it," Nathan said, putting his hands in his pockets and nodding his head slowly. He was standing there in a pair of worn jeans, a faded green t-shirt and stocking feet.

Haley looked him up and down and pursed her lips approvingly. She was trying not to grin at the mere sight of him, knowing she didn't have to duck to avoid him or pretend they didn't have a history. She took a step closer so there was just a small space between them and looked up at him. "Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," he said with a grin, stepping forward and closing the gap between them. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you."

She laughed. "You saw me nineteen hours ago."

"That long?" he said, leaning down to give her a light kiss. "That's way too long. There's no way I can do that again."

She laughed and pulled away, looking around. "Your house is gorgeous."

He shrugged. "I guess," he said, leading the way into the kitchen. She followed him. "Thirsty?" he asked.

She nodded. "Sure."

"What do you want?" he asked, opening the fridge. "We have bottled water, Mountain Dew, iced tea—"

"Water is fine," she interrupted him.

He pulled two from the fridge and passed her one, opening his own and taking a big swallow. "So, how about some one on one?" he asked.

Haley shook her head. "We can't go outside," she said quietly.

"Right," Nathan said dryly. "Someone might see us together and tell Lucas."

She nodded, ignoring his tone. Of course he'd be hurt that they had to keep their seeing each other a secret. But until she told Lucas, this was going to have to be the way it was.

"How about some NBA live, then?" he asked.

She smiled at him. "Sounds great," she said as he led the way upstairs to his bedroom.

As Nathan sat up the game, she sat down on the foot of his bed and studied his bedroom walls. There were some posters of some basketball players, and then there were some posters of some rap artists on the wall. Haley frowned. She _hated_ rap music. She continued to look around, wondering what else they _didn't_ have in common. "Ready to play?" he asked, handing her a controller.

She nodded.

"OK, do you know the rules of NBA Live?" he asked with mock seriousness.

"I've played it a time or two," she joked. It was the only video game she knew how to play.

"Then you know that for every basket I make, you get to kiss me?" he asked.

She smiled at him. "Oh, I do, do I?" she returned.

He nodded. "Should we have a practice round?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Sure," she said, turning her attention to the television and positioning her hand on the controller.

Nathan grabbed it from her hand and threw it to the floor. He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her onto his lap.

"Oh," she said in a small voice. "You meant…" she trailed off.

"Yeah," he said, dropping his lips to hers. His kiss was soft at first, but not for long. He swept his tongue inside of her mouth and lifted his hand to the nape of her neck. Haley lifted her hands to his waist, putting her hands underneath his t-shirt and resting them on the bare skin of his stomach. He took in a sharp breath and pushed her away quickly. "OK," he said, his voice strangled. "I…think you…know the rules pretty well."

Haley grinned knowingly at him, but didn't say a word. She climbed off his lap and onto the floor in front of the television. Nathan slid down off the bed and onto the floor next to her and sighed. This was going to be a long night.

777

"Hey there, handsome," Brooke said as Lucas climbed into the passenger's seat of her car.

"Ahhh…" Lucas closed his eyes and shook his head, then opened them again. Nope. He wasn't seeing things. "You…don't have any clothes on," he informed her.

"I don't?" she said, feigning surprise.

"You don't," he confirmed.

"Well, then that means I'm wearing exactly what I had picked out for tonight," she told him, looking down at a hot pink bra with black lace on it and a pair of matching bikini panties.

"So, where are the rest of your clothes?" he asked.

"At my house," she told him unflinchingly.

"Then that's our first stop," he told her.

"You don't like…_this_?" she asked in a sultry voice.

"Oh, no. I like it," he assured her. "But it's gonna be too hard for me to look into your eyes while you're wearing _that._"

"What if I said I don't want to talk?" she said, sliding closer to him.

"Then I'd say that this date is over," he told her.

"What?" she asked in a surprised tone.

"I want to get to know _you_, Brooke Davis. What's under the clothes will come later."

There was a pause.

"Brooke?"

"No one's ever said anything like that to me before," she said quietly.

"Well, I'd say it's about time someone did, then," Lucas told her.

"But…"

"How about we move right to the good night kiss?" he asked.

She bit her lower lip and nodded wordlessly.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "And then, when you're ready to talk, you can call me again…and we'll set up that second date." He gave her a tender grin. "Clothes and all."

Again, she nodded.

Lucas lifted his face to hers, their lips coming together in a gentle kiss. He lifted a hand to her hair, finding one of her soft curls. He gently pulled his hand down the lock of hair and it sprung back up and fell to her shoulder. He pulled away but she went with him, trying to deepen the kiss. He gave her another push, this one a little more firm. "This is as far as we go tonight, Brooke," he said softly.

She nodded and moved back to her side of the car.

He grinned at her. "Thanks for a wonderful night," he said sincerely, climbing out of his side of the car.

Brooke sat there for a moment in stunned silence before starting her car and pulling away from the curb.

777

"Oh, come on!" Haley said as her ball missed the basket by what must have been a mile. She slammed her controller against her knee. "What is wrong with this thing?" she asked. They'd been playing for hours, and Haley was sure her lips must be swollen from all the kissing.

"Ummm…its operator?" Nathan teased.

"Shut up!" she shot back, laughing.

"Nathan!" they heard from outside of his bedroom door.

"Shit," Nathan said, jumping to his feet.

"What?" she asked.

"My dad's home," he said.

"Are you going to get in trouble because I'm here?" she asked, springing to her feet.

"No," he said quickly. "But you just…you don't know my dad, Haley. If he says anything…well, I apologize in advance for anything he says."

There was a knock and then before Nathan could answer, his father stuck his head in the room. _He really is quite a handsome man_, Haley thought to herself. She wasn't sure what she'd expected. Maybe someone who looked a little more like a monster from the way he'd treated Lucas.

"Nathan, you really should get to bed," Dan said, moving fully into the room. He saw Haley and gave her an empty smile. "Hi, Peyton," he said.

Haley opened her mouth to correct him, then thought better of it.

"Nathan—you really should think about turning in early tonight. We need to get up early tomorrow to train if you're gonna beat your brother on the court."

Haley stood there, holding her breath waiting for Nathan's reaction. He surprised her.

"It's not about beating Lucas on the court, Dad. It's about playing as a team." Whitey had been right about that, Nathan thought. He'd made it very clear that the reason he'd recommended Nathan for High Flyers was so he could learn to play as part of a team, and he didn't want to let the man down.

"That doesn't sound like my son talking," Dan said. "That sounds like Whitey."

Nathan shrugged. "Whitey's been coaching for years, Dad. Maybe he knows a thing or two."

Dan laughed humorlessly. "Right." There was a pause. "I've seen Lucas play, Nathan. If you want to grab the attention of the scouts, then you've gotta stand out more than the bastard," he said.

"I'm sorry. The _what_?" Haley asked heatedly.

Nathan took a step sideways, placing himself in front of her and holding out his arm to stop her from verbally attacking Dan.

"That's not Peyton," Dan said. "Peyton knew when to keep her mouth shut. Who the hell is _this_?" he asked.

"Was that all, Dad?" Nathan asked impatiently.

"We can't afford to get lazy now, Son," Dan said instead of answering. Clearly that _wasn't_ all. "I'll wake you up at five so we can get a run in."

"Fine, Dad," Nathan said, anxious to get Dan out of the room.

Dan nodded. "You can be great, Nathan," he said. "But only if you let me help you. You need to listen to me."

"Fine, Dad," Nathan said again.

"See you in the morning," Dan said, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Haley stood there silently as Nathan's jaw ticked.

"Nathan—"

"I'll walk you home," he said flatly, leaving his room. Haley had no choice but to follow.

Nathan put his sneakers on his feet and tied them, then opened the front door for Haley. They walked in complete silence for the first street until Haley couldn't take it anymore.

"Why didn't you stand up to him?" Haley asked quietly, thankful that it was dark outside. At least no one would recognize her with Nathan.

He laughed, but there was no humor there."You don't stand up to Dan Scott," he said.

"Well, what _do_ you do?" she asked.

"You ignore him."

"And how's that working out for you?" she asked.

Nathan took a deep breath, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Not so good," he admitted.

Haley nodded. "I didn't think so."

She came to a stop and laid a hand on his arm. "You do know that you're great, right, Nathan?" she told him earnestly, studying his face. "And…you don't need your dad to help you. You can do it on your own. You have something that he _doesn't_ have. And that's _heart_."

Nathan looked down at her for a minute before pulling his hands out of his pockets and taking a quick step towards her. He brought his mouth down to hers in a searing kiss. She grabbed the front of his t-shirt and pulled him closer, falling against him. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a squeeze before pulling away.

She sighed with pleasure, her eyes still closed—a grin fixed on her face. When she opened them, he was watching her. "What?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I just like looking at you," he said softly.

She grinned as they began walking again. She tried to keep the grin off her face, but she couldn't. "OK, now it's my turn to ask. What are you grinning at?"

Her smile got even wider. "You."

"Me?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Why?"

He was thankful for the street light just above them otherwise he wouldn't have seen the blush that filled her cheeks.

"You made my toes curl," she admitted.


	18. Chapter 17

Nathan Scott woke up to a pillow hitting his face and let out a groan.

"Time to get up, Nate."

He heard his father's voice through the cloud of haziness in his head. "What do you want?" he asked.

"It's time for a run," his father said.

Nathan opened his eyes and looked at the clock. "Dad, it's four in the morning. _Monday _morning," he reminded his father. "I ran with you yesterday. Today—I need sleep."

"You can sleep tonight. This morning—we run."

"No, Dad. This morning, I sleep." He grabbed the pillow from his fathers' hands and pulled it over his head.

"You're playing Pontiac this Friday."

"I know," Nathan mumbled.

"Do you remember how pitifully you played last year? You only scored 12 points."

Nathan sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Dad, I had mono," he reminded him.

"Excuses, excuses," his father taunted.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Will you just get out of my room?"

"Don't you want to break my scoring record?"

Nathan sighed. "I don't need to run with you this morning to break your scoring record," he said in a bored tone.

"Well it would certainly help if you were in better shape. Scoring titles aren't just given away. They're earned. I bet Lucas has been doing some heavy training."

"I'll earn it Friday night," Nathan said lying back down. He chose to ignore his fathers comment about Lucas.

"That's what you think," Dan said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're being lazy."

"I'm being 17," Nathan argued.

"Well, let's see where it gets you Friday night," Dan said, leaving the room with a slam of the door.

Nathan lifted his head off his pillow and gave it a frustrated punch.

777

Later that morning, Nathan yawned as he sorted through the books in his locker and picked out the ones he'd need for his first few classes. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. Haley was standing there with a smile on her face.

"Hey!" she said cheerfully. After scanning the hallway, and seeing that no one was there, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm going to tell Lucas about us," she said anxiously. "Today. After practice, actually. What do you think?" she asked.

"Do whatever you want, Haley," he said with a scowl.

"Nathan, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I have bigger problems than worrying about _you_ hurting my brothers' feelings," he said, slamming his locker door shut.

She visibly flinched at his tone. "_What_ is wrong with you?" she asked. The fact that he'd actually referred to Lucas as his brother didn't escape her attention.

"The same thing that's always wrong with me, Haley. My dad."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Nope. I don't want to talk about it, and I don't want to think about it."

"Well, OK," she said apprehensively. "Let's just…get to the tutor center then."

"I'm not going to make it to my session today," he said abruptly.

"Nathan, don't be crazy. You have a test today and you need a good grade to stay eligible."

"I'll manage," he snapped.

Haley stared at him for a moment as if she was seeing him for the very first time and then spun on her heel and walked away.

777

"Jake, that's not your seat."

"I know it's not my _regular _seat. But Peyton really wanted me to sit next to her," he said with an ear to ear smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her head snap up from her sketch pad.

"I—" she started.

"Fine," Mrs. Wilson said. "Let's get started." She proceeded to get on with the days lesson plan.

"What the hell was that?" Peyton hissed. Having attention drawn to her was _not_ something she liked.

Jake grinned at her. "How did I do Friday night?" he asked in a whisper. "Do I have a job or what?"

"Friday night was fine," she snapped. "But Monday morning is another matter entirely."

"Admit it," Jake said, trying to charm her with a smile. "You missed me."

Peyton's eyes widened in disbelief. "_Missed_ you? Until this weekend, I had no idea you _existed!"_

"And now that you do?"

Peyton licked her lips in frustration. Immediately, she knew it was the wrong thing to do, because his eyes flew to her mouth and she watched as he swallowed past the lump in his throat.

"Now that I do," she said, "I'm beginning to miss the peacefulness of before I _did_."

"Because you can't get me out of your mind, right?" he teased.

"Mr. Jagielski?"

Jake's head flew up to meet his teachers' eyes. "Yes?" he asked.

"Is there something you'd like to share with the class?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I think Peyton Sawyer has a crush on me."

There were a few giggles as Peyton gasped and her eyes immediately filled with fire.

_Liquid fire, _Jake thought. _**Sexy**__ liquid fire._

"Ms. Sawyer?"

Peyton lifted her eyes to the older woman's.

"Anything you'd like to say to that?"

"No," she squeaked. And hated herself for it. Peyton Sawyer did _not_ squeak.

"Now, back to the stages of grief," she started.

Peyton's hand flew up. "Mrs. Wilson?" she said in a concise tone. _That's more like me_, she thought. "I actually _do_ have something to say."

"By all means, Ms. Sawyer…"

Peyton sighed dramatically. "Jake and I had an amazing time together Friday night," she said in a breathy tone. Here she was drawing attention to herself, but she figured that desperate times called for desperate measures. And after that little crack, well, she owed him one.

"That's wonderful, Ms. Sawyer."

Peyton nodded enthusiastically. "It really was. We were able to really…share things." She turned to Jake and gave him a sweet smile.

He gave her a nervous one in return. _What in the hell was she doing?_

"For example, Jake has a crush of his own. But…do you think Tim Smith would be interested in him?"

The classroom was abuzz with excited conversation as Peyton turned to Jake and gave him a triumphant smile. Laced with more than a hint of 'don't mess with me.'

777

Nathan put his hands in his pockets as he walked into the tutor center that afternoon. "Hey," he said softly when he finally saw Haley.

"Hi," she said without looking up. She was filing a stack of papers.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you today," he told her.

"Don't worry about it," she said briskly, making her way to another filing cabinet.

"So, when are you going to tell Lucas about us?" he asked.

"I'm not," she said.

"Why not?"

She finally lifted her eyes to his. "Because I don't know what I was thinking, Nathan! Today you made it very clear that you're capable of treating anyone the way you treat Lucas. I thought this was a silly little…vendetta between the two of you perpetuated by your father. But as it turns out, I really think the problem…is yours. I'm not willing to subject myself to the way you treated me today. So I'm not telling Lucas. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing to tell."

"Look, I said I'm sorry."

"How long are you gonna hide behind your father, Nathan? You did it at High Flyers and you're doing it now. Are you really going to let who _he_ is shape who you are? Or are you going to try and be your own man?"

"That's the plan eventually," Nathan said quietly.

"Yeah, well eventually is too far away and way too uncertain for me," she said.

"Haley, you don't know my dad," he said.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "You're right. And for about the millionth time, I'm realizing that I don't know you, either."

777

After an intense basketball practice, an angry and frustrated Nathan made his way home that night. He was lying on his bed tossing his basketball in the air and catching it again when an the thought that had been stuck in his head since this morning just wouldn't go away. He put his ball on the bed beside him and pulled out his cell phone. He hit four on his speed dial.

"Tim?"

"Yeah?"

"Is your brother still dealing?" Nathan asked.

Yeah," Tim told him.

"I want some performance enhancers," he said.

"For what?" Tim asked in surprise. Nathan's game was fine.

"For my game."

There was a short pause. "Nate, this isn't a good idea."

"Did I ask if you thought it was a good idea?" Nathan asked.

"No, but I thought I'd let you know," Tim said quietly.

"I'll be fine," Nathan said angrily, snapping his phone shut.

777

"I'm so nervous!" Karen said that Friday night as she handed her fee to the person at the door.

Haley laughed and flasher her student ID. "It's going to be fine."

Karen looked at Haley. "I'm about to see my son in a Ravens uniform," she said dryly. "It's going to be like going back in time."

"Makes you want to pull out your cheerleading skirt and pom-poms, doesn't it?" Haley teased.

Karen laughed as she scanned the bleachers for an empty spot. "It's packed in here!"

"We probably should have left earlier for the first home game," Haley agreed.

"I didn't realize that it was going to be so full in here," she said, making her way up the middle steps to a few empty spots. She sat down and Haley followed suit. She looked down at the table on the sidelines and caught Mouth's eye. She gave him a little wave and then turned back to Karen.

"I can't wait to see Lucas play!" Haley said. "I've seen him at practice before, but never on the court in an actual game."

"Me, neither," Karen said quietly.

Haley reached over and gave her a pat on the arm. "He can hold is own," Haley assured her.

Karen nodded uncertainly.

The young men from the opposite team made their way out onto the court in a single file line and grabbed some balls, starting to shoot around.

A few minutes later, Tree Hill's team made their way out amidst stomping and cheers. Karen looked at Haley and grinned as she clapped her hands. "I'm feeling a little bit better," she admitted.

Haley smiled back and then her eyes went to the court once again. Immediately they found Nathan, and she felt herself frown. He hadn't been to one tutoring session all week and she hadn't spoken to him since Monday after school. Forcing them away, she found Lucas and watched as he took some lay up shots and then did some rebounding. After they'd shot around a bit, the buzzer sounded and both teams made their way over to their own benches. Mouth started to announce the Tree Hill starters one by one and each one received cheers and clapping. But it was no contest. It was clear that Nathan was this towns' hero when it came to basketball. Haley watched him as he ran out onto the floor and her eyebrows came together as she studied him. Something didn't' look right. He looked off. _Agitated_, she thought, and then sighed. Of course he was off. Apparently he was at it with his father yet again.

Haley felt someone's eyes on her across from the gym and looked up. Peyton smiled at her and gave a small wave. Haley waved back and almost rolled her eyes when she saw Brooke Davis sitting next to her. Whatever had happened on her date with Lucas Saturday night, he wasn't talking. Of course, this only served to increase Haley's curiosity, but she wasn't about to hound her friend for details. Especially with the secrets she'd been keeping.

Tree Hill earned the ball on tip off, and it was clearly their game from there. Haley had an earphone in one ear, listening to Mouth announcing. She was surprised to hear that Nathan was trying to break his father's scoring record against Pontiac and wondered if this was where some of the pressure he was feeling came from. Even above the cheers and applause, she could hear murmurs coming from all around the gymnasium saying how much the Scott boys complemented each other on the basketball court. At one point, Haley looked over at Karen and swore she could see tears in her eyes.

In the last quarter, Lucas was bringing the ball down the court looking for the open man and threw it to Nathan.

This was it. With this shot, he would break his father's scoring record. Her eyes followed the ball and she looked at Nathan. He was covered in sweat, which by itself wasn't a bad thing when they were playing ball, but even from where she was sitting, she could tell that he was shaking like a leaf. Just as he put the ball up, his eyelids drooped and he fell backwards onto the court, The noise level in the gym escalated and before she could think about the consequences, Haley sprung up, made her way down the bleachers and flew onto the court.

Across the gym, Brooke looked at Peyton. "Well, well, well," she said. "What _have_ we here?"


	19. Chapter 18

Haley was in her room pacing with her cell phone to her ear. "Nathan? Hi," she said softly. "It's me. I—I went to the hospital but…well your dad said I was wasting my time." She sighed. "I just…I hope you're OK. And I'm really sorry about this morning. I…I overreacted."

"No you didn't," she heard from behind her.

She spun around and saw him standing there. Her eyes immediately filled with tears and she started to sob. She walked slowly towards him and cautiously put her arms around his neck. She buried her face in his chest and he could feel her tears through his shirt.

Nathan lifted one arm around her waist and the other one was stroking her hair. "It's OK," he said softly, then chuckled. "Well, except for the fact that your front door was unlocked after dark. Where are you parents?" he asked.

"They're gone for the weekend," she told him.

"Well, you're lucky I came in and locked the door behind me." He waited a minute, and then pushed her away. "You OK?" he asked tenderly, taking her face in his hands.

"I am now," she told him.

He kissed her on the forehead. "Good." He sighed and went over to sit down on her bed. "I'm sorry about Monday morning."

She didn't say anything, just bit her lower lip and leaned against the frame of her bedroom door.

"My dad—he just gets to me. And I let him really get to me right then, and I took it out on you. I'm sorry I was such a jerk." He took a deep breath. "You said again that you don't know me, but, Haley, that's not true. You do know me. Or at least—you know who I _want_ to be."

"And who's that, Nathan?" she asked softly.

"I wanna be somebody who's good enough to be seen with you," he said honestly.

She sighed. "Then be that guy, Nathan. I saw him at High Flyers. Why is it so hard for you to be him here?"

Nathan shrugged. "I don't know," he said in frustration. "I guess because…it's never who I've been here. People have certain expectations of me, Haley. Of who I am…the way I'm going to act."

"Well, maybe those aren't the kinds of people you need in your life, Nathan. Not if they expect you to be less than who you are."

"I think you're right," he agreed.

Haley took a deep breath, walked over to her bed and sat down beside him. "So, what happened out there tonight?" she asked.

"I—I took some performance enhancers," he told her.

Her eyes flew to his face. "You what?" she asked.

"It was stupid," he said before she could.

"Yeah, it was," she said angrily. "Nathan, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I was sick of seeing that smug look on my father's face and I wanted to break his scoring title," he said.

"Well, congratulations," she said dryly.

"For what?" he asked.

"You don't know?" she asked.

"Know what?" he asked.

"Your shot went in, Nathan."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked.

She shook her head. "You broke your dad's record," she said quietly.

"Oh," he said mildly.

"That's it?" she asked. "Just a little 'oh'?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't seem so important now," he admitted.

"It's been less than two hours," she reminded him.

"Yeah, well I've gained a lot of perspective in those two hours," he told her.

"Nathan, I—"

"Give me another chance, Hales," he said.

She didn't say anything, just swallowed past the lump in her throat.

"Haley, please…" he begged.

She nodded slowly and leaned into him. He took her face in his hands again and brought his lips down onto hers. They moved so they were lying down side by side on the bed, and Nathan lifted his hand to the small of her back underneath her shirt and pulled her as close to him as possible. He pulled his mouth away from hers, his breathing ragged. "Haley, I—"

She shook her head. "Don't stop, Nathan. Just…don't stop," she said, pulling his face back to hers. He reached for the top button on her shirt and had her shirt halfway undone when her cell phone jarred them apart. "That's Lucas!" she said, jumping up on her bed and over Nathan. She stepped over him and landed on the floor in a run. She reached her desk and grabbed her cell phone. "Hello?" she said after she'd flipped it open. She turned around to Nathan and put a finger to her lips, urging him to stay quiet.

He rolled over onto his back, and with a sigh, lifted the back of his forearm to his forehead.

"Hey, it's me," Lucas said. "Why is the front door locked?"

"My parents are out of town," she said quickly.

"You knew I was going to come over after the game," he said.

After what had happened to Nathan, their plans to hang out had completely slipped her mind. "I'll be right down," she said, shutting her phone and tossing it down on her desk. "Is your car in the driveway?" Haley asked.

He shook his head. "I took a taxi from the hospital."

Haley nodded. "Good," she said, heading for her bedroom door. "I'll be back in a few minutes," she said, making sure to shut it behind her.

She made her way down the stairs and stopped at the front door. She looked down at her shirt and quickly buttoned it up, then took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair, hoping to smooth it out some. She unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"Hey," Lucas said, walking into the living room.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry I'm so late. Whitey wanted to lecture us after the game, and then Brooke met me in the parking lot and we talked for a while, so…that's why I'm late."

"It's OK," she assured him quickly.

Lucas studied her face for a minute. "You OK, Hales?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not really," she finally admitted.

"What's going on?" he asked concerned.

Haley didn't say anything, so Lucas finally broke the silence.

"Is there something going on with you and Nathan?" he asked softly. "I mean…are you _more_ than just his tutor?"

Her eyes flew to his face, and he knew.

"No one can find him, you know. Dan's called everybody looking for him. Apparently he pulled the IV out of his arm at the hospital and went AWOL," Lucas said.

"You might want to have a seat for this," she told him.

"I'm fine standing."

"He's upstairs in my bedroom," she admitted.

"Haley—"

She shook her head. "Let me finish, Luke," she told him.

He nodded. "OK."

There was a pause as Haley chose her words carefully. "I—" she hesitated. "I met Nathan before this school year," she said in a rush.

"Before you met me?" he asked.

She nodded.

"You met me the day you moved here," he reminded her.

"I know," she said.

"So, then when did you meet Nathan?"

"I met him a little over six weeks before I met you," she told him.

"He was at High Flyers," he said.

"So was I," she said softly.

Lucas let that information sink in and then took a deep breath. She saw his jaw start to tick and had to force herself not to fidget.

"So, our entire friendship has been based on a lie," he said angrily.

"No it wasn't, Lucas! I swear! I didn't even know who Nathan was until after the school year started. Until we saw him that day at Peyton's locker, I didn't have any idea that he even _lived_ in Tree Hill!"

"Why didn't you tell me then?"

"Because I knew how much you didn't like him, Lucas! And I was afraid of losing my friend! And I—I tried to stay away from him, but…" she took a deep breath and sighed. "I couldn't," she whispered.

"So when I told you that my brother's name was Nathan, the name Nathan _Scott_ never rang any bells with you?" he asked doubtfully.

"I only knew him as Scott," she said, hating having to admit it.

"What does _that_ mean?" Lucas asked.

"We decided that whatever happened that summer was all that would ever happen between us," she told him. "He told me his name was Scott."

Lucas laughed mockingly. "Oh, that's nice, Haley. The guy _lies_ to you about his name, doesn't even tell you where he _lives_, and _you_ can't stay away from him? Sounds to me like he was trying pretty hard to stay away from you!" he said.

"That's not true," Haley said.

"Yeah, well, I think he's using you just to get to me," Lucas shot back.

"That's not true, either. I get that you're mad, Luke, but you don't have to try and hurt me."

"I'm just trying to let you know what kind of a guy my _brother_ is, Haley."

"Oh? And you've based this on…what? The _one_ conversation you've had with him?" she said.

"I grew up here, Haley. I know exactly how Nathan is."

"Apparently, you _don't_ if you think he'd use me just to get to you. That must be some high horse you're on, Lucas Scott, because this world, does _not_ revolve around you! And you want to talk about using people? What about Brooke Davis?"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Lucas asked.

"You've lived in the same town as she has your entire life. She's never even acknowledged your existence, and then suddenly you make the varsity basketball team and she's all over you? That's a bit obvious, Lucas, don't you think?"

"And that fits into this argument _how?_"

"I'm just saying…maybe you ought to be reevaluating yourself in all this."

"Because my dating Brooke hurts you in what way?" he asked. "You're trying to compare…apples to oranges, Haley, and it's not going to work! You _lied_ to me!" he reminded her.

"I'm sorry," she said honestly. "I didn't…plan for this to happen."

"And yet here we are," Lucas said softly.

"Luke, please…" she said desperately.

"You know what, Haley?" he said angrily. "The next time you see me, _don't_ talk to me! As far as I'm concerned, this friendship is over."

"Luke!" she yelled. But it was too late. He'd walked out and slammed the door behind himself.

She sighed and sat down on the couch, putting her face in her hands and letting the tears fall.

She felt the couch shift beside her and then an arm wrap around her shoulders. "I heard the door slam," Nathan said softly.

"I told him," she said softly.

"And?" Nathan prompted.

She sighed. "It was awful," she admitted through her tears. "I don't think he's ever going to forgive me, Nathan."

He wrapped his other arm around her and pulled them back onto the couch. "I'm sorry, Hales," he said. And he was surprised to find that he meant it.


	20. Chapter 19

"Hey," Brooke said in surprise when she saw Lucas standing on her front porch.

He studied her front door. "Red?" he asked.

She grinned and nodded.

"It somehow fits you," he said.

"Thanks," she replied, cocking her head to the side, waiting.

"What?" he asked uncomfortably.

"You tell me. You're the one who showed up at my house at 11:30 on a Friday night. Did you really come to discuss my front door?" she asked in amusement.

He sighed and put his hands in his pockets, then shook his head.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the house, closing the door behind them.

"What's going on, Lucas?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"Haley's seeing Nathan," he said.

Brooke nodded. "Yeah," she said softly.

"You knew?"

"I had an idea. Come on, Lucas. Didn't you? Their chemistry is so obvious."

"Yeah, to those who weren't blinded by Haley's deception!"

"Luke," Brooke said firmly. "Don't you think that's being just a little overdramatic?" This was new for her, being the voice of reason. Usually _she_ was the one with a flair for melodrama. And she had to admit, she didn't know Lucas that well yet, but she'd thought he was more together than this.

He looked her up and down. "What were you doing?" he asked, suddenly noticing her attire.

"Pilates," she informed him.

"This late?" he asked.

She shrugged. "We had a squad meeting before school today, and then the game tonight, so I didn't get a chance to work out." She grinned at him and headed for the living room. "You didn't think this body maintained itself, did you?" she teased over her shoulder. She sat down on the couch and turned the television off with the remote.

"I'll watch if you want to continue," he said with a smirk, sitting down next to her.

"I was almost finished," she told him. "So…how did you find out?"

"We were supposed to hang out tonight and when I went over, I asked her if there was anything going on," he said, then shrugged. "She admitted it. _And_ he was upstairs in her bedroom." He went on to tell her about the conversation he'd had with Haley before he'd stormed out.

Brooke nodded slowly. "So you _did_ suspect something," she observed. "Otherwise you wouldn't have asked her, Luke."

Lucas sighed.

"How is he?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know. I didn't see him. He was upstairs in her bedroom," he said scornfully.

Brooke looked at his face for a minute, contemplating his expression. "Lucas, do you have feelings for Haley?" she asked flat out.

"What?" Lucas said then laughed. "No, I do _not_ have feelings for Haley."

"Then why are you so upset?" Brooke asked softly.

Lucas thought for a minute. "I just…I thought she was different, you know?"

Brooke shook her head. "No. I _don't_ know. What do you mean?"

"I thought she was…"

"Perfect?" Brooke supplied.

Lucas gave her a startled look. "Yeah," he said in realization. It had never hit him until now, but that was exactly how he'd seen his friend.

"That's a lot of pressure to put on someone," she told him.

Lucas didn't say anything.

"Maybe she was afraid that if she told you, then…she'd lose you," Brooke said, trying to provide him with a female perspective. "Has she, Lucas? Has Haley lost you?"

Lucas gave her another glance then took a deep breath and let it out. "Maybe," he said halfheartedly.

"Look, I'm not very good at being the one to put things in line, because…well, I'm _me_ and I _love_ to blow things out of proportion. But let's try to look at this from Haley's point of view," she suggested. "She moves to a new town, makes _one_ friend over the summer, starts a brand new school, and then that very first day, she finds out that her summer tryst is your brother—who you can't stand. Wouldn't you be a little afraid to have to admit that?"

"I would have tried to be honest," he said.

"Maybe she _did_ try, Lucas. Maybe she just couldn't do it."

"Well, then she didn't try hard enough."

"Luke—you said yourself that she tried to stay away from him. Doesn't that tell you how much she didn't want to lose you? She was willing to give Nathan up for you."

"No, she wasn't. Or she would have."

"Well, she was willing to _try_," Brooke said. "That has to count for something."

"Why are you defending her?" Lucas asked. "I didn't even think you knew her."

"I've met her once," Brooke said. "And I'm not trying to defend her. I'm trying to see if there's a way to fix this."

"Why?" Lucas asked.

"Because I don't like that look in your eyes," she said honestly.

He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want to talk about this anymore," he said stubbornly.

Brooke had to hold back a smile. Lucas was more like his brother than he realized.

"Well, I think I know what could get your mind off it," she said huskily.

His eyes flew to her face. "Yeah? What's that?" he asked.

She made her way to his side and lifted a leg over his lap so she was straddling him. "My lips," she said, bringing them down to his.

777

"You pulled the IV out of your arm?" Haley asked a little while later. She and Nathan were lying down together on the couch.

"Yeah," he said.

"Why?"

Nathan sighed. "I heard my dad on the phone with my mom, and they started fighting, and it was…it was just too much. I didn't want to deal with it."

Haley nodded. "Where is your mom?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea," he said. "She's away so often on business trips, it's hard to keep track. But it's better when she's gone. There's a lot less yelling in the house."

"I'm sorry," Haley said softly.

"It's not your fault," Nathan said, stroking her hair.

"Nathan?"

"Yeah?"

"How come you didn't tell me your real name at High Flyers?" she asked uneasily. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since Lucas had thrown it in her face earlier.

She felt his chest rise under her head as he took a deep breath then released it. "Because I wanted to be someone else," he admitted.

"With a new name?" she asked doubtfully.

"You just assumed that was my name because that's what all the other guys called me, and I never corrected you," he told her.

She nodded in understanding.

"Why was it so important to _you_ that we not keep in contact after the summer?" he asked.

She sighed. "Because everything that had happened between us was so perfect," she admitted. "And that was how I wanted to remember it. Flawlessly. I was afraid that keeping in touch with you would somehow…wreck things. And I didn't want things to be ruined."

"Aren't you afraid things will get ruined now?" he asked.

"No," she said softly. "Now I'm afraid that if I go the rest of my life not finding out how things between us will play out, then I'll regret it forever. If somehow things…get…messed up," she shrugged. "I can live with that. But the thought of walking away from you…_that_ I couldn't live with."

"Things between us are _not_ going to get ruined, Haley," he promised her.

"Things happen," she said, unconvinced.

"Not to us," he said firmly. "Things are gonna be great, Haley. You'll see."

There was a knock on the door and Haley lifted her head to look at Nathan. "Who could that be?" she asked.

She made her way to the door and opened it.

"That's her!" Dan Scott said his finger just inches from Haley's face. "That's the girl my son was with earlier this week," he told the police man who was with him.

"Ms." the officer gave her a questioning look.

"James," Haley supplied.

"Ms. James, have you seen Nathan Scott?" the officer asked.

Haley opened the front door further to reveal Nathan sitting on the couch. He slowly stood up and made his way to her side.

"Dad. What's going on?" he asked tiredly. His whole countenance had changed the second he'd realized it was Dan on the other side of the door.

"I was worried sick about you, Nathan!" his father said angrily. "What is wrong with you, just leaving the hospital like that?"

"I didn't want to listen to you arguing with mom," Nathan said dryly. "Again."

"You're coming home," Dan said.

Nathan shrugged. "Fine. But I'll just leave again," he said.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Dan said, grabbing his son's arm. He pulled Nathan through the front door, and then looked at Haley. "Aren't you going to say good night to your _girlfriend_?" Dan asked.

"I'll call you later," Nathan told her.

She nodded and watched as his father led him to the car at the end of the drive.

"Ms. James, are your parents home?" the officer asked.

777

"Nice room."

Peyton jumped and looked up from her sketch pad. She sighed. "You just took ten years off my life," she told Jake angrily. "Don't you know how to knock?"

"I did. There was no answer."

"So you just _let_ yourself in?"

Jake shrugged. "Pretty much." He walked into her room and sat down next to her on her bed.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked angrily.

Instead of answering, he grabbed the sketch pad from her hand.

"Hey!"

He flipped it open and grinned at the sight. "That's me," he said, pointing to the page. He was going for a layup in his Raven's uniform.

She snatched it back from him. "Yeah. So?" she shot back, leaping up off her bed and standing on the other side of it so there was something between them. _Space._ She needed space.

Jake took his jacket off and lifted his feet onto Peyton's bed, his back leaning against the wall.

"Don't get too comfortable," she warned.

"I already am," he shot back. "So, the reason I'm here—"

Peyton gave him a dirty look. "As if I even care," she said.

"Just so you know, I'm straight as a board," he told her, looking her body up and down appreciatively.

"I don't care," she said lifting her chin defiantly.

"Oh, I think you do," he argued.

"Jake—"

"I think you're scared."

"I am _not_ scared," Peyton said heatedly.

"I think you want me," he went on.

Her jaw dropped. "I do _not_ want you!" she said shrilly.

He grinned at her, getting up on his knees and crawling over next to where she was standing. He got up on his knees so they were at eye level with each other. "Prove it," he challenged.

"What…"

"Kiss me," he said.

"I am _not_ going to kiss you," she said vehemently.

"Boy, you like your 'nots' don't you?" he asked with a grin reaching for her hands with both of his. He gave her small tug and she came stumbling forward.

"One kiss," he whispered, his face so close to hers she could feel his breath on her cheek. He smelled minty. "If you don't want me, what's one little kiss going to hurt?" he taunted.

She shook her head. "No," she said weakly, her eyes fixed on his lips.

She pulled them away and lifted her eyes to his. They were dancing with amusement.

_Busted,_ she thought.

"You know you want me," he said gruffly.

She lowered her eyes to his lips again. "Maybe a little," she admitted in a whisper, moving close enough to him that her upper body was resting against his.

He lifted his arms around her and smirked. "There's my girl," he whispered.

"I am _not_ your girl."

"No, you're _not_," he agreed. "Well, we'll just have to remedy that, then, won't we?" As soon as his lips met hers, only one thought was flying around in Peyton's head. _Fireworks._


	21. Chapter 20

"_You _don't seem to grasp the severity of this situation, Haley!" her mother said angrily, not looking up from the carrots she was chopping up to put in the beef stew she was making.

"Mom, it's not that bad!"

"Haley, the police were looking for him!" her mother said in a raised voice.

"I didn't know that, Mom!" Haley said, defending herself.

Her mother shook her head and wiped her forehead with her forearm. "I can't believe that my teenage daughter, so often the voice of reason even for _me_ could be this…irresponsible! "

"Mom!"

"He pulled an IV out of his arm, Haley! Weren't you worried about that?"

"He looked…fine," Haley said weakly.

Her mother gave her a look of disbelief. "Well, he wasn't fine! He broke out of the hospital, for crying out loud!"

"Mom, you're being dramatic," Haley said. "I can't deal with you when you're like this."

"Excuse me?" Lydia said, dropping the knife and finally raising her eyes to her daughters. "I don't think we've ever been to this point!"

"Would it have been different if Lucas had been here instead of Nathan?" Haley asked.

"Of course it would have been!" Lydia said.

"And why is that?" Haley asked challengingly.

But Lydia James was not about to back down. "Well, for one thing, I've actually _met _Lucas," she pointed out.

"You're met Nathan!" Haley said.

"In passing when we're in the grocery store does _not_ count," Lydia informed her daughter.

"But—"

"And for another, Haley, I'm not worried about Lucas taking my teenage daughter to bed!"

Haley crossed her arms in anger. "I am not sleeping with Nathan," she said.

"Well, I would hope not, Haley," Lydia said, trying to get control of her temper. She took a deep breath and picked the kitchen knife back up, going to work on the carrots again. She deliberately changed her tone of voice back to normal. "But when you're alone in the house, Haley, and the opportunity presents itself, sometimes, things get out of hand."

"I'm not a ball of hormones, Mom," she said.

Lydia sighed. "Yes, you _are_, Honey. All teenage girls are balls of hormones when they're around boys they like."

"So, what are you going to do? Are you going to ground me?"

"No, grounding you would be too easy," Lydia said, once again lifting her eyes to her daughters, this time in sorrow. "I'm just going to wonder if you're telling me the truth from now on. Every time you walk out that door, I'm going to wonder if that's _really_ where you're going."

Haley groaned. "That s worse than being grounded!"

"Yes, well, I'm not trying to accommodate you," Lydia said. "I'm trying to get you grown up safely."

"I wasn't in any danger, Mom," Haley said.

"That's what scares me, Honey," her mother said. "Is that you _really_ believe that."

777

"I tried calling you all weekend," Nathan said as Haley approached him.

She readjusted her book bag and sighed. "I couldn't get to a phone," she told him. "After you left, the police called my parents. And then, next thing I know, Karen was knocking on my door telling me to pack a bag. I had to spend Saturday night at her house."

"With Lucas?" Nathan asked. "Ouch."

Haley shook her head. "Actually, no. Conveniently, Lucas was staying at Skills' for the night. And I don't even think Karen knows we're fighting."

Nathan heard the pain in her voice and put an arm around her shoulders as they approached the school. "He's gonna get over this, Haley," he promised.

"Yeah," Haley said unconvinced.

Nathan held her tighter as she stumbled. "You OK?" he asked.

She stopped in her tracks and looked around. "Nathan?" she said in a small voice.

"Yeah?"

"Is it just me, or are people staring at us?" she asked nervously.

Nathan looked around. "People…might be staring," he conceded.

She took a deep breath. "I have to go," she said in a panic, rushing into the building.

"Hales!" he yelled at her back.

"I'll see you after school," she yelled over her shoulder. She disappeared down the hallway before he could catch up to her.

Infuriated, Nathan took a left where he normally would have taken a right, and made his way to the library. He'd seen Lucas there in the mornings before school sometimes when he'd had to serve a.m. detention. He stormed into the library and looked around, his eyes finally finding Lucas. Nathan ignored the starts that were following him as he made his way to the corner of the library. By the time he got there, his temper was flaring. "You know, you've always thought that _I _was the jerk, Lucas. And I'm sure that you think that I'm using her to get to you or playing some stupid game with you. But it's never been like that for me. Not with Haley."

"Shut the hell up!" Lucas said angrily.

Nathan shook his head then slammed the palms of his hands on the desk next to Lucas' text book. "No! I have one more thing left to say. You remember this. _I _never would have made her choose." With those last words, Nathan spun on his heel and strode out of the library.

777

"So, I heard you had drama before school today," Brooke said, sliding her tray onto the table beside Lucas'.

"I was in the library studying," he said, confused.

"I know," Brooke said, peeling the sticker off her apple. "But apparently you weren't alone," she said.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah," he said, taking a drink of his milk.

"Luke, you OK?" Brooke asked.

"He doesn't know the _first_ thing about Haley!" Lucas said.

"Nathan?" Brooke asked.

"Yes, Nathan!" he spat.

"Well, what did he say?" she asked.

"I'll tell you what he said!" Lucas said angrily. "He said that maybe he was a jerk, but _he _would never have made her choose! Can you believe that?"

Brooke shrugged. "Actually, yeah," she said softly.

"What?" Lucas asked, his head whipping around to look at Brooke.

"Lucas, have you seen the way he looks at her?"

"No," Lucas said flatly.

"Of course not," Brooke said. "Well, if you had, you _would _believe it. He was waiting for her before school today."

"How sweet," Lucas said sarcastically.

"It _is _sweet, Lucas."

"So sweet, it's making me sick," he said.

Brooke laughed. "Let's change the subject, then," she said.

"To what?" Lucas asked suggestively.

"To us," she said playfully. "What are you doing tonight?"

"I don't know. What _am _I doing tonight?" he asked.

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Me, hopefully," she challenged.

Lucas laughed. "You never stop surprising me, Brooke Davis," he told her.

"Yes, well, I _am_ a woman of surprises."

"I get that," he told her.

"I want to finish what we started the other night," she told him.

"Brooke, I told you—"

"Yes, I know what you told me," she said dismissively. "But I'm in this relationship, too, Lucas. And I'm telling you…I'm _ready_," she said forcefully.

Lucas' eyes widened in shock and he looked her up and down. "Right now?" he croaked.

Brooke laughed at his expression. "No, not right _now_," she told him. "Well…_maybe_ right now."

"Brooke—"

"Relax, Romeo. Not right now. But this weekend, Lucas. I want you this weekend."

"Brooke—"

"Luke, I have waited—" she started, and then stopped when he put a finger to her lips.

"I want you, too," he said huskily.

"Then it's a date?" she said, her breathing shallow at the mere thought of being with him.

"It's a date," he confirmed, sealing it with a kiss.

777

"You skipped first period this morning," Jake said, catching up to Peyton after school.

"Yeah, well, I was tired," she said by way of excuse.

"Or, you were embarrassed," he said.

She could hear the smile in his voice. "I am _not_ embarrassed," she said. But she could feel her cheeks pinkening even as she denied it.

"Of course you're _not_," he teased with a shrug. "And you shouldn't be. Lots of girls throw themselves at me."

Peyton gasped and came to a halt. "I didn't throw myself at you!" she said emphatically.

"Of course you did," he argued. "You had me pinned beneath you on your mattress. I couldn't have moved if I'd wanted to." He winked at her, a wide grin on his face. "But don't worry. Luckily, I didn't want to."

Her gaze narrowed. "You're unbelievable," she said.

He reached for her hand and gave it a tug. "So are those crystal green eyes of yours," he whispered.

She lifted her hands to his chest to push herself back away from him, but his hands lifted to her waist before she could make her escape. "Jake—" she said.

"What?" he said, his breathing increasing just from looking into her eyes.

"What are you doing with me?" she asked painfully.

His grin got wider. "Right now?" he asked teasingly. "Holding onto you for dear life."

She shook her head. "No, _not_ right now," she said insistently. "What are you doing with me?" she repeated.

"Trying to kiss you," he said.

"No, Jake," she said.

Jake took a deep breath. "I don't know what I'm doing with you," he said honestly. "I just know that I can't stay away from you. And I'm hoping you can't stay away from me," he said softly, hopefully. There was a short pause. "Peyton?"

"I can't stay away from you," she whispered. Closing the small gap that was left between them, she lifted her lips to his.


	22. Chapter 21

When Haley left practice that evening, Nathan was waiting for her outside in what he'd worn to school that morning—a pair of blue jeans and a short sleeved white button up shirt—his back against the brick wall. One of his legs was bent at the knee and his foot was resting on the wall, his hands in his pockets.

"Hey," Haley said when she spotted him.

Nathan pushed away from the bricks and immediately fell into step beside her. "What's going on with you?" he asked in a concerned tone.

Haley sighed and tugged the strap of her practice bag higher on her shoulder. "I don't like the attention," she told him.

"You're a starter on the basketball team," Nathan reminded her. "There are hundreds of pairs of eyes on you every time you're on the court."

"This is different," she said emphatically.

"How?" Nathan inquired.

"It's not…attention because I betrayed my best friend," she reasoned with a wince. "I mean, my word! Was it on the six o'clock news last night?"

"You didn't betray him, Hales," Nathan said softly.

She stopped in her tracks and focused on Nathan's face. "How can you say that? Of course I betrayed him! I've been lying to him since the first day of this school year!"

"Because you were scared!" Nathan said, already his first instinct to protect her.

"It's not an excuse," she said, shaking her head and resuming her pace. "I'm practically an adult. I should have been straight with him from the beginning."

"Well, then he betrayed you, too."

Haley laughed sarcastically. "How did he do that?"

"When he found out that you weren't perfect, he bailed," Nathan said.

"I hurt him," Haley said, her gaze straight ahead. She wouldn't look at him now.

"He hurt you."

Haley shook her head. "It doesn't matter," she said miserably.

"Of course it does," Nathan disagreed.

"But why?" Haley asked. "Why does it matter _so_ much to you?"

"Because it matters to _you_."

Haley lifted a hand and ran it through her hair. "Why do you have to be so darn perfect?"

Nathan laughed and grabbed her free hand, pulling her against his side. He wrapped his arm around her neck and kissed her temple. "I'm not perfect," he whispered, making a show of looking around. "But keep it on the down-low."

Haley laughed, choking on a sob. "I love that you can make me laugh no matter what."

Nathan grinned. "Well, then I'll save my dancing for when you're _really_ down," he teased.

777

"Oh, my God!" Brooke said, annoyance dripping from every word. "I am so sick of hearing about Haley, that I'm not even sure I like _you_ anymore," she told Lucas, glad he was at the other end of the couch. She'd never gotten violent before, but she sure was considering it now.

"Brooke—"

"No!" Brooke said firmly. "I have never been jealous of a woman before unless the guy I'm dating has actually _slept_ with her. This is just ridiculous!"

Lucas cocked an eyebrow at her. "You're jealous?"

Brooke crossed her arms and tilted her head at him, giving him a dirty look. "Don't try and get all cutesy now, Lucas Scott. It's too late."

"Cutesy?" he said, his grin widening. "I'm not playing ring-around-the-rosy."

"No," she agreed. "You're playing frickin' stubborn!"

"Well, here's an idea," Lucas said, moving to the middle cushion on the couch, closing the distance between them. "Let's let the subject of Haley and Nathan drop altogether and get on with what this night was _supposed_ to be."

Brooke sighed and pushed him away, then stood up, narrowly escaping his reach. "Well, I can't now! Now I feel like I have to defend Haley again! And Nathan!"

"Brooke—"

"He's a lot like you, you know," she said.

"I don't believe that for one second," Lucas said flatly.

"But out of the two—you're more stubborn. Which is a huge surprise to me!"

"I don't want to hear this," Lucas said.

"And you think life _without_ a father is bad?" Brooke scoffed. "Try life with Dan Scott. It'll sober you up pretty quick. It's made me feel thankful many times. Absentee parents and all."

"What are you trying to do, Brooke?" Lucas asked, agitated.

"I'm trying to make your brother more real to you," she said.

"Oh, trust me, he is real to me," Lucas said. "A real pain in the ass!"

"Nathan was having a party one night, everyone from the basketball team and all of the cheerleaders were there. Anyway, it was at their beach house and the cops ended up getting called. It was a pretty rough party. When Dan got there, he literally kicked Nathan's ass all the way to the car, Lucas. Can you imagine how embarrassing that was for him? In front of all of his teammates and the entire squad."

"Yes, well I'm sure his mommy was there to smooth things over for him," Lucas said without any sympathy.

"Well, you'd be wrong. The only parent on the planet who is more absentee than _my_ mom is Deb Scott. She's typically nowhere to be found. At least in this zip code anyway. And that story about Nate and Dan? That's one of the _mild_ ones, Lucas."

"This isn't making me like him any more," Lucas told her.

"Sweet Lord, Lucas Scott. Is there ice coursing through your veins?" she asked.

Lucas leaned forward and snagged her wrist, pulling her onto his lap. "Ask me that in another half an hour," he told her.

Brooke frowned. "Only half an hour? Really?" she said in dismay.

Lucas threw his head back and laughed. "The first time," he told her. He shook his head and gave a fake shudder. "But, ooooh, the second time…" he trailed off.

Brooke grinned. "The _second_ time?" she asked in excitement.

"The **second** time," he confirmed, a promise in his words. He pulled her to him, his hand at the back of her neck holding her in place. He started placing a string of kisses along her throat.

"Lucas," she said weakly. "You remember where my room is, right?" she asked.

"Is there something wrong with the living room floor?" he asked, pulling his mouth away from her throat just long enough to ask the question. He quickly went back to work.

"No," she said, and then whimpered when she felt his tongue on her neck. "Lucas," she said pleadingly, threading her fingers in his hair. When he pulled her closer to him, she could feel his arousal through her cotton pants and instinctively tightened her grasp.

"Geez, Brooke!" Lucas said when she tugged at his hair.

"I'm sorry," she said breathily, clearly not meaning it.

He growled. "It's OK," he assured her. "Rough is…good."

She nodded. "I think so, too," she managed to get out between her gasps. "And so is hard," she said, pulling away from his kisses and reaching for his belt buckle.

777

"I _am_ not a ball hog!" Haley said, grabbing the French fry that was in Nathan's hand and popping it into her own mouth.

Nathan shrugged and put his hands out to his sides. "I'm just saying…"

Haley laughed. "Well, you're wrong! I am a _great_ passer!"

"Maybe," Nathan said, clearly humoring her.

"What do _you_ know?" she asked.

"Right. Because the captain of the number one basketball team in the state couldn't possibly know anything," he said mockingly.

Haley grinned. "That's right," she said, ignoring his tone and agreeing with is words.

Nathan laughed. "You are _some_thing else, Haley James."

"Nathan?" she asked her tone suddenly serious.

He looked up from his strawberry milkshake and met her eyes. "Yeah?"

She sighed. "You never told me what happened with your dad after he picked you up at my house the other night," she told him.

He shook his head, looking down at his food. "Nothing," he told her.

"Nathan—"

"He went into Dan Scott mode," he told her. "Berated me a little bit, asked me if I wanted to knock you up before I'd even gotten a scholarship and have a little Lucas on my hands. That's all, Hales."

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely, still amazed at how a man could try and condition one of his sons to hate the other.

"For what?" Nathan asked. "It's not your fault."

"I know it's not my _fault_, but I don't like to think of that happening to you."

"Then don't," he said fervently. Reaching over, he took one of her hands and threaded their fingers together. "I'm used to it," he told her with a shrug. "His words don't hurt me anymore, Hales. I hardly even hear them," he promised her, kissing her hand on the knuckles.

Haley took a deep breath. "That makes it even worse," she said. "To think that you're _used_ to that."

Nathan laughed hollowly. "I said that to make it better, not to make it worse."

"Well, it had an adverse effect," she told him.

"I see that now," he said softly.

"Have you heard from your mom yet?" she asked him.

He shook his head, and then took a bite of his burger, washing it down with his milkshake. "I left her a message, but she never called me back."

Haley's eyes welled up with tears as she thought about the fight she'd had with her mother. All because she was too overbearing. After what she was hearing from Nathan, Haley suddenly felt silly for the angry words she and her mother had exchanged. She decided that the first thing she was going to do when she got home was apologize and beg for her mothers trust again.

"Hales?" he asked.

She forced her tears back and cleared her throat, trying to lighten the mood.. "So, you _do_ realize what this is, don't you?"

Nathan looked confused.

"No?" Haley asked.

"No," he confirmed.

She grinned at him. "This is our first official date in Tree Hill," she said, enlightening him.

Nathan groaned.

"What?" she asked, her tone teasing.

"I brought you to _McDonalds_," he said dryly.

"What's wrong with McDonalds?" she asked.

"Not a great story for the grandkids," he reminded her.

Haley laughed at that.

"And…what if we ever decide to get married?" he asked.

Haley shrugged. "What if?"

"Well, if I wanted to refer back to our first date, I'd have to purpose under the Golden Arches," he said, shuddering for effect.

Haley laughed. "Well, if you did it after dark, we'd already have mood lighting," she teased.

"Your glass is always half full, isn't it, Haley James?" he said, standing up and grabbing both their trays.

Haley giggled again. "Look at the bright side."

"What's that?" Nathan asked absently as he threw their food wrappers away.

"If we had gone to Burger King, that scary man in the King suit would have been officiating the wedding ceremony," she said.

Nathan grabbed her hand as they walked out of the restaurant. "Well, we really side-stepped _that_ land mine," he said jokingly.

"I'll say," Haley agreed as they headed for Nathan's vehicle.

Nathan opened the door for her, and then backed her up against the vehicle. "You know what I like best about you, Hales?" he asked, moving close enough so that she was flush against him.

"What?" she asked breathily, her eyes locked on his.

"The way you taste," he said the second before his lips touched hers.

She opened her mouth and his tongue sought hers. It was only a second before they found each other, and Nathan's hands moved from her waist down to her thighs, pulling her against him. She wiggled her hips, trying to get even closer. He immediately broke the kiss, his breathing ragged. "What in the hell are you trying to do to me?"

Haley grinned at him and climbed into her seat. He leaned in and gave her another kiss on the forehead before closing her door.

He came around to his side of the car and got in, then left the parking lot.

"I'm gonna do it," Haley said emphatically.

"Do what?" Nathan asked, looking over his shoulder to make sure the way was clear before he changed lanes.

"I am going to walk into that school tomorrow with my head held high," she told him. "Because, regardless of what is going on with Lucas and me, what _we_ have is amazing. And I'm not going to let anyone ruin that for us."

"That's my girl," Nathan said, reaching for her hand and once again threading his fingers with hers. He stopped at the red light and waited patiently for it to turn green.

"And if people want to stare at me, and to judge me, what do I care? I don't know most of them anyway."

Nathan nodded. "That's right," he said, stepping on the accelerator as the light changed.

"And if…Nathan!" Haley screamed just before a truck running the red light hit her on the passengers' side.

That was the last thing he heard before everything went black.


	23. Chapter 22

"Nathan! You have _got_ to stay still!" a voice said, someone on each side of him pushing down on his shoulders. He struggled against them, but it was no use. At the moment, they had more strength than he did. But he couldn't see Haley. There were two beds in the trauma room. The one he was occupying, and then the one behind the curtain, where she was.

"Open the curtain," he said, his voice so overwrought with fear that he didn't recognize it.

The nurse shook his head. "We're not going to open the curtain. It looks worse than it is, Nathan. But she's going to be _fine_."

"It's not _she_," he whispered.

"I didn't hear you," the nurse said.

"Her _name_ is Haley," he said, his voice gaining strength.

The nurse nodded. "That's good to know," he said, disappearing behind the curtain to relay the information.

"Nathan, can you roll up onto your side for me?" someone in a set of dark blue scrubs asked. "We need to get an x-ray of your cervical spine. The neck area," he clarified.

Nathan swallowed and took a deep breath, listening to the chaos on the other side of the room as he mechanically did what was asked of him.

_"Get me those I-Stat results!" he heard someone yell._

_"We need those X-rays!" came from someone else._

_"The bleeding won't stop," he heard another voice say._

_"Tell them to get an OR ready," someone said._

"An OR?" Nathan asked, suddenly gaining even more strength. "But they said she was going to be fine!" he said desperately, trying to sit up once again. Medical staff immediately reappeared at his side.

"We need someone over here with an update on the girl!" one of the people at his side yelled.

"We can't give any information," the doctor yelled through the curtain. "HIPAA laws state—"

When the man at Nathan's side suddenly swung the curtain back, Nathan realized then that he must be a doctor, or he wouldn't have said what he said next. "I don't give a _fuck_ about HIPAA," the man said violently. "_My_ patient is so worried about _yours,_ that we can't get him to cooperate over here." The other side of the room went silent while people continued to work on Haley. "So, who's going to update him?" the doctor asked smugly.

One of the people on the other side of the room sighed and made her way over to Nathan's bedside. "Your friends' vital signs are fairly strong," she said softly. "We're waiting on the results of her blood tests and her x-rays so that we can assess how much damage has been done. She has a compound fracture in her leg."

"What's that _mean_?" Nathan asked.

"The bones in her lower leg broke and they came through the skin."

Nathan took a sharp breath at the explanation.

"It sounds bad, I know," the nurse continued, rubbing Nathan's shoulder to try and comfort him, "but it could have been a _lot_ worse. You and your friend are _very _lucky," she said. "The truck hit the front passenger's side corner of your vehicle, Nathan. Haley probably locked her leg, bracing herself for impact, which caused the bones to break."

Nathan nodded. "But, she's going to be OK?"

"I think so," the nurse said. "There are no bruises on her face, so I doubt there's a concussion. It's _possible_, I just don't think it's _probable_," she said.

"Then why isn't she awake?" Nathan pressed.

"She went into shock. That's the body's way of shutting down when there's too much stress."

"Her body is shutting down?"

The nurse shook her head. "She's coming out of it, Nathan. The pain meds will help to speed that along." She reached down and squeezed his hand. "Now, can we get her to the OR?" she asked softly.

Nathan's eyes met hers. "Are you going to be in there the entire time?" he asked.

"Do you _want_ me to be in there the entire time?" she asked.

Nathan nodded emphatically.

"Then, yes. I'll be in there the entire time," she assured him.

"Thank you," he said.

She nodded and then turned around, making her way back to Haley.

777

"Well, _this_ is getting to be a habit," Dan Scott said as he walked into Nathan's hospital room a few hours later. "Twice in one week."

"Dad," Nathan said dryly. "Glad you could make it."

"You could show a little more appreciation at my arrival," Dan said angrily. "I had to leave an important business conference for this! I bet your _mother_ wouldn't have done that."

Nathan shot his father a dirty look and then moved his gaze to the window. "I'm fine, thanks for asking," he said tersely.

"I _know_ that your fine, Nathan," he said. "I talked to the doctor on my way here."

"And Haley's going to be fine, too," he said.

"Haley was with you?"

Nathan nodded.

"You didn't let her drive your vehicle, did you? Insurance won't cover the damages if you did!"

"No, Dad, she wasn't driving. _I_ was driving."

"Were you paying attention?"

"The light was green," Nathan said. "Someone ran a red and hit us."

"You couldn't swerve?"

"Yeah, I _could_ have," Nathan said sarcastically. "But then we'd be missing out on this off the charts father/son moment."

"I don't like it when you're sarcastic," Dan said.

"And I don't like it when you're _here_," Nathan shot back. He lifted his hands to rub his eyes, and then let out a deep sigh. "I'm tired, Dad. Exhausted, really. Can you come back in the morning?"

Dan nodded. "Get some sleep. Maybe you'll be in a better mood tomorrow," he said over his shoulder as he walked out.

Nathan let out the breath he'd been holding since his father walked in and looked at the clock. It was 10:00. The nurse had come in to let him know that Haley's surgery was going well and she should be out in a few hours. He shut his eyes to try and rest, but every time he closed them, he heard Haley shouting his name and a big bang followed by the sound of glass shattering. He hit the call button for his nurse, deciding to take her up on the pain pill she'd offered him earlier.

777

When Nathan opened his eyes again, it was three o'clock in the morning. He shot up in bed—clearly _that_ hadn't been the right thing to do if his swimming head was any indication—and wondered why the nurse hadn't woken him when Haley came out of surgery. _Speak of the devil,_ he thought, as she walked into the room. He knew something was wrong from her expression. "There was a complication following the surgery," she said softly.

"Is she…" Nathan asked, his voice trailing off.

"She's fine now," the nurse explained. "When she was coming out of the anesthesia, she bit down on the tube as it was being pulled out of her throat, and her lungs filled with fluid."

Nathan swallowed, his eyes widening. "That sounds bad," he said.

The nurse nodded. "It can be. And it was. But she's fine now."

"Can I see her?" he asked.

The nurse cleared her throat. "No," she said. "She's in ICU and they only allow immediate family except for visiting hours during the day. However, she_ is_ in room 502. And if you…happened to accidentally find her room…well, I don't suppose anyone would have to know if you were sneaky enough."

"Thank you," Nathan said.

She nodded and stood up, heading for the door.

"What's your name?" Nathan asked.

She turned around and smiled at him. "Lisa," she told him.

"Thanks for everything, Lisa," he told her.

One more smile, and she made her way out of the room.

777

When Nathan walked into Haley's room, he flinched at the sight of all the tubes and the pallor of her skin. He sighed and grabbing his IV pole, walked towards her. He didn't notice the figure in the corner of the room until it stood. "What are you doing here?" Lucas demanded.

"I came to see her," Nathan said raggedly.

Lucas studied his brother's face for a moment and for the first time ever, felt like he had the upper hand. "Yeah? The last time you saw her, you almost killed her," he reminded Nathan.

Nathan didn't say anything, just looked longingly at Haley, took his IV, and slowly departed from the room. He was walking down the hallway when he heard a voice behind him.

"Scott?"

He turned around, recognizing the woman standing there as the one who Haley had been with at the grocery store. And if the height was any indication, clearly her mother.

"You are…Haley's _Scott_, aren't you?" she asked, approaching him cautiously.

Nathan slowly nodded and his eyes filled with pain.

"I'm Lydia," she said.

He stood there, studying her face as she came near.

"Accidents happen," Haley's mother whispered, finally reaching him.

He didn't say anything, just swallowed past the lump in his throat.

"If it makes you feel any better Nathan, Haley's father and I don't blame you."

Still, nothing.

"She's gonna need you when she wakes up," Lydia told him.

"Not as much as I'm going to need her," he said, tears silently falling down his cheeks. It didn't escape her attention that he wouldn't even wipe at them. He refused to acknowledge them, as if they somehow made him less of a man.

Lydia took a tentative step towards this young man, who in that moment looked so much like a little boy, so visibly broken. Her face came no higher than the middle of his chest, but still she wrapped her arms around him. He waited for a moment before slowly lifting his arms around her, as if giving her time to turn away if she wanted to. When he finally realized she wasn't going anywhere, the young man who was more than a foot taller than she was rested his head awkwardly on her shoulder and wept openly in the hallway of the hospital.


	24. Chapter 23

"I'll come back after supper," Lucas said, leaning down and kissing Haley on the cheek.

She used her knuckles to straighten her upper body on the bed. "OK," she said, so thankful to have Lucas' friendship back. Granted, it had taken this horrible accident to make it happen, but if something good was going to come out of it, this was definitely it.

He gave her a wave as he left her room just as her parents were walking in. "How's my girl?" her dad asked as he, too, leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"I'm…OK," she said hesitantly.

Her father grinned at her. "Would it make you feel better if I told you we got you some contraband?" he asked as he pulled a McDonalds bag out from behind his back.

Haley's eyes instantly filled tears as her mind swam with visions of golden arches. She choked on a sob.

"Honey?" her mother asked expectantly, immediately coming to her side.

"Where is he mom?" she asked as she began to cry.

"Lucas?" her mother asked, puzzled.

"Nathan!" she wailed. "I've been here for _two_ days and he hasn't come to see me yet!" she said.

"I'm not sure why he hasn't been here," Lydia said evasively.

"Just tell me, Mom!" Haley ordered.

"Tell you _what_?"

Haley began crying hysterically and put her face in her hands. "He's…dead. Isn't he?" she said in a whisper, her voice breaking and tears soaking her cheeks. "And you're too afraid to tell me!"

"Oh, honey!" her mother said, sitting down beside her on the bed and wrapping her arms around her. "Is that what you think?"

"Why else wouldn't he be here?" she asked, clinging to her mother.

"Honey, Nathan is just fine." _Physically_, she thought to herself.

"He is?" Haley asked hopefully, pulling away so she could see her mother's face.

"Of course he is!" her mother said emphatically.

"Then where is he?" she asked again.

Her mother sighed. "Haley, I don't want to upset you."

"Mom! Look at me! I think it's a little too late for that! _What _is going on?"

"I can't be certain," Lydia began, "because I wasn't in the room when it happened."

"When _what_ happened?" Haley asked, her impatience growing.

"Nathan came to visit you after you got out of your surgery."

"He did?" She sighed in relief.

Her mother nodded. "And Lucas was in here."

Haley nodded, urging her mother to continue.

"And I think there was an exchange of words. But I can't be sure what was said."

"Well, did he come back at all after that?" Haley asked.

Her mother shook her head. "He hasn't been back since."

"Well…maybe he's mad at whatever Lucas said, but he wouldn't be mad at me! I don't…I don't understand. Nathan would never _not_ come to see me because of Lucas."

Her mother shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, Honey."

Later that night, after her parents left, Haley picked up the phone to call Nathan.

777

Nathan looked at the screen on his cell phone and noticed the first three digits were from the hospital. He hit the ignore button so it would go immediately to voice mail and then sighed, throwing his arm up so his forearm covered his eyes. _The last time__** you**__ saw her, you almost killed her! _ran through his head again and again, just as they had for the last two days.

He rolled up onto his side and stared at the wall, waiting for his phone to beep indicating a voice message. When it did, he hit number one on the speed dial and waited to hear Haley's message. "Hey." Her voice came softly and uncertainly to his ear and then he heard her sigh. "Mom told me that you're fine, but…I really need to see you for myself, Nathan. Not because I think that she'd lie to me, but…I just need to see you. I haven't talked to Lucas yet, but Mom thinks that he might have said something to you when you came to see me." He heard her choke on a sob. "If he said something he shouldn't have…well, I'm sorry. But please don't let him stop you from seeing me, Nathan. He never has been able to before." He heard her hang up and then clicked the off button on his phone and closed his eyes, trying for the sleep that had been evading him for the last two days.

777

"Hey," Lucas said when he walked into Haley's room later that night.

"Hey," she said tentatively, using the remote to turn off the television.

"Everything OK?" he asked as he sat down on the chair next to her bed.

"I…think…so," she said, studying his face.

"What do you mean 'you think so?'?" Lucas asked.

Haley took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair. "Did you…say something to Nathan, Lucas?"

Lucas sighed and his eyes grew steely. "That guy has a _big_ mouth," he said instead of answering her.

"For your information, I haven't seen Nathan or even talked to him since I woke up. You don't happen to know why, do you?" she asked, feeling for the first time like her mother was right on the money. Even when she'd left that message on Nathan's voicemail, she'd been hoping she was wrong.

He sat there, his eyes moving around the room, looking at anything but her.

"Lucas?" she asked, her voice rising.

"I might've said something to him that was a little offensive," he admitted.

"Well, tell me what you said so we can get this cleared up," she insisted.

Lucas sighed. "I might've told him that it was his fault that you almost died."

"What?" Haley asked shrilly.

"Hales," Lucas said. "You need to calm down." He stood up and looked down at her as she used her hands to try and straighten herself, her movements awkward with the help of only one leg. "You're getting yourself worked up over nothing!"

"Over _nothing!_" Haley cried in disbelief. She looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. "Not over nothing, Lucas! Over your_ brother_!"

Lucas opened his mouth, but Haley held a hand up.

"I know, I know. He's not your brother and all that…junk," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Except here's the thing, Luke. He _is_ your brother. He shares your father, and he shares your last name."

Lucas scoffed.

"But that's it, isn't it? You really _don't_ share anything else, do you? Because from what I've seen of Nathan—he's a _decent_ guy. He's a _good_ guy. The kind of person…I thought _you _were. It's so ironic, Luke. All of the things you told me you hate about him," she shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. "I haven't seen them. In _him_. I've only seen them in _you_," she whispered.

"Well, all I can say, Haley…is _wait_. You'll see them sooner or later."

"Or maybe I won't. Because maybe the Nathan you've created in your warped, 'I've gotten the short end of the stick' mind…doesn't exist," she said cuttingly.

"Hales…" Lucas said.

She shook her head again. "And to think, I was so desperate to have you back in my life, Lucas. Here I was missing you like crazy while you were hooking up with Brooke Davis and taking on that whole jerk-jock lifestyle you've claimed to have despised your entire life."

"That's not what I'm doing," Lucas said.

"Well, that's what it looks like," Haley said, lifting her chin defiantly. "You can go, Luke," she told him. "Because contrary to what I thought, I _don't_ need you. "

"Hales—"

"Open your eyes, Lucas! You have played right into Dan Scott's hands! For the last seventeen years, _his_ entire life has been trying to create a rivalry between his two sons, and he's succeeded. Because you've acted just like a puppet on a string!"

Lucas laughed, but there wasn't an ounce of humor in it. "Wow," he said quietly. "Tell me how you _really_ feel."

She turned her television back on by way of dismissal. Lucas stood there for a moment, staring at her, waiting for her to look up at him, but she refused to. After a few minutes, he left.

777

When Lucas finally exited the room, Haley shut the television off again and fell backwards onto her pillows, covering her eyes with her hands as she began to sob.

777

Haley was wide awake at midnight when a movement by the door caught her eye. The drowsiness this morphine was causing was really messing with her internal clock. Assuming it was the nurse coming to check her IV again, she continued reading her Anatomy & Physiology textbook until she felt her bed move.

"Hey."

"Nathan!" she said, her eyes flying to his face as he sat down next to her. She dropped her textbook into her lap and threw her arms around him, the crying starting all over again. "I didn't think you were gonna come."

"I wasn't going to," he admitted quietly, stroking her hair with one hand, the other around her waist.

"Why changed your mind?" she asked, pulling away from him.

Nathan shrugged. "The same thing that always changes my mind about you, Haley James. I couldn't stay away."

Haley nodded. "You're really OK?" she asked looking him up and down.

He nodded as he reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Much better that you," he said tenderly.

"Well, suddenly I'm feeling much improved since you've arrived."

He grinned at her, taking her face in his hands and giving her a soft kiss on the lips. "You're color has returned rather quickly," he teased.

She laughed, and then her expression sobered. "Lucas told me what he said."

Nathan nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly.

"You know it's not true, right?" she asked.

"I do _now,_" he said. "But I have to admit, I felt so guilty anyway, and that just added to it."

"You shouldn't feel guilty, Nathan," she said fervently. "It was an accident."

"I know it was," he agreed.

"I can't…" she sighed. "I am _so_ sorry that you had to hear him say that, Nathan. Lucas is…practically unrecognizable to me now. I don't even know what I ever saw in him."

Nathan studied her face. "I'm sure there were lots of things you liked about him," he told her.

"Well right now, not one springs to mind. I am so _angry_ at him for what he said. He had _no_ right—"

"Haley," Nathan said firmly to get her to stop talking.

Her eyes met his. "Yeah?"

"Give the guy a break."

"What?" Haley asked, not sure if she heard him right.

"You almost died coming out of a surgery from a car accident where _I _was driving, Hales. I…I can't even imagine how I would have acted if this had been the other way around."

"With much more dignity, I'm sure!" she said, defending him.

"Well, I'm _not_ so sure," he said. "Your faith in me might be misplaced in this case, because I'm telling you right now, that if our positions had been reversed, I would have had a _hell_ of a lot more to say than what he did."

"Nathan—"

"Haley, I almost just lost you," Nathan said gruffly, his eyes glistening with tears that he blinked back. "Let's save this topic for another time. For now, I just want to _be_ here with you...knowing that you're OK," he said, taking her hand.

Haley nodded as she swallowed past the lump in her throat.


End file.
